WHEREAS, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in its January 15, 2004, article concerning the Hawaii public school system, Hawaii's schools are ranked among the top when it comes to large class sizes; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education announced, from the Hawaii Opinion Poll on Public Education, that the overcrowding of classrooms is ranked in the top five among all problems concerning learning and learning environments and that, when considering school quality, class size was ranked fourth amongst eight issues, with school size also ranking in the top eight; and

WHEREAS, research indicates that, in 1999-2000, Hawaii ranked forty-third among the states when comparing teacher/student ratios (Hawaii being one of the largest), and Hawaii's ratios have remained stable, while other states have managed to lower their teacher/student ratios, lessening overcrowded classrooms; and

WHEREAS, research has consistently shown that smaller class size significantly increases the amount of learning that takes place, reduces disciplinary problems, improves teacher productivity, and is particularly beneficial to students from low-income backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 60 of the 2004 Hawaii Secondary Student Conference recommends that all schools not exceed their maximum student capacity and that overcrowded classes be dealt with through expansion of schools or the use of more buildings and facilities until the enrollment population does not exceed each school's maximum capacity; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the Department of Education is urged to address classroom overcrowding and school capacity overload by using more buildings and facilities for school and classroom use and by expanding the number of public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Board of Education, the Hawaii State Student Council, and the Superintendent of Education, who in turn, is requested to transmit copies to all secondary school principals and all school/community-based management chairpersons.

Report Title:

Education; School Overcrowding