Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 3102 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to reduce the student to teacher ratio for elementary, middle, and high school classes and to appropriate funds for initiatives and staff needed to support the reduction.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education. The Department of Budget and Finance submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee finds that this measure is not intended to reduce class size or to require additional classrooms, but is intended to add more teacher support in varied subject matter areas to ensure that students have increased attention from teachers.

Your Committee has amended this measure to clarify the student ratio of 15.25-to-one and to indicate the number of support teachers it would take to bring that ratio down to 14.75-to-one and to include an appropriation amount.

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. 3102, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3102, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.