Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1506, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate general funds for para-professional positions with the Integrated Special Education Database (ISPED) system of the Department of Education.

The Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and one individual submitted testimony supporting this measure.

Your Committee finds that the ISPED system was created pursuant to the Felix Consent Decree to improve communication and collaboration between the Department of Education and the Department of Health in ensuring appropriate and timely provision of services to students with special needs. Your Committee also finds that the persons who have been inputting the data, often during their own personal time, are the special education teachers themselves.

Your Committee finds that this measure is necessary to increase productivity by relieving special education teachers from data inputting tasks and allowing them to devote more of their time to teaching.

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 H.B. No. 1506, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.