STAND. COM. REP. NO. 91
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 1095
S.D. 1
Honorable Colleen Hanabusa
President of the Senate
Twenty-Fourth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2007
State of Hawaii
Madam:
Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1095 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to ensure that state child serving agencies maintain a high quality of service.
The measure accomplishes this purpose by establishing quality assurance committees at various levels within the Department of Education to address policies impacting the delivery of services by state child serving agencies and to provide opportunities for community input and feedback.
Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Department of Health, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Special Education Advisory Council. Testimony in opposition to the measure was submitted by one individual. Comments on the measure were submitted by the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Office of Information Practices.
Your Committee finds that ensuring the delivery of quality services by state child serving agencies is necessary in caring for our children and in fulfilling the State's obligation under the Felix Consent Decree. Your Committee further finds that efforts to establish a statewide quality assurance system to monitor the performance and efficacy of services provided to children by state child serving agencies have been undertaken by the Departments of Education and Health. Furthermore, testimony indicates that efforts to develop a Memorandum of Agreement among state child serving agencies may negate the necessity of the establishment of multiple quality assurance committees as provided under this measure.
However, your Committee believes that the Legislature should remain committed to ensuring that quality services are being provided to our children and determines that an ombudsman with knowledge of the system and the services available would be beneficial to stakeholders in resolving problems and assuring the delivery of appropriate services. An ombudsman would be of great service to stakeholders and provide further assurances regarding the quality of services being provided within the State.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing its contents, which created quality assurance committees at the school, complex, district, and state levels;
(2) Deleting the appropriation for support staff for the state quality assurance committee;
(3) Including an appropriation for one full-time equivalent ombudsman position for each school district to assure the delivery of quality services by state child serving agencies; and
(4) Specifying that each ombudsman shall:
(A) Assist families in ensuring that their children are receiving state services that meet the needs of each child by helping to monitor the performance and effectiveness of the services being provided;
(B) Address questions and concerns of stakeholders and other interested parties with regard to the delivery of services by state child serving agencies;
(C) Investigate complaints from stakeholders or other members of the public against a department or child serving agency, or other organization;
(D) Work to resolve individual issues through problem solving with stakeholders; and
(E) Help to identify issues or policies within the system and develop solutions for implementation within the Department of Education.
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. 1095, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1095, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,
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____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair |
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