Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 565 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the DOE to reduce the ratio of students in kindergarten to grade 2 to not more than 20 students to 1 teacher, and provide workload relief for class advisors and class size reduction for teachers required to teach in more than two grade levels and two subjects.

Your Committee heard testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that maintaining low teacher-to-student ratios is a key factor in fostering both high teacher morale and student educational success. The latter is especially true in the early grades of kindergarten through grade two, when students are just being introduced to formalized education. Moreover, allowing class advisors to spend at least half of their time advising helps ensure student access to this much-needed service.

Your Committee realizes that with current facilities it would be hard to carry out this measure, but your Committee feels that further discussion on this matter is desirable and is accordingly moving this measure on.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 565 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.