Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1253 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify a school community council's authorities and responsibilities.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii Government Employees Association. Opposition testimony was submitted by the Hawaii Laborers-Employers Cooperation Educational Trust.

Your Committee finds establishing that school community councils shall ensure a school's academic and financial plans are consistent, rather than aligned, with the educational accountability system would eliminate confusion as how the schools are to align their plans with the complex statutory requirements of the educational accountability system.

One intent of Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, was to place more decision-making capabilities with the individual schools and its leaders rather than at the department level. However, by restricting a school community council's authority to approve a principal's academic and financial plans to merely allowing the council to make recommendations would conflict with the intent of Act 51.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure to continue to allow the school community council's approval of a principal's academic and financial plans by deleting the proposed amendments made to section 302A-1103, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1253, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1253, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.