STAND. COM. REP. NO.  978

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 17

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 17 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Provide more time for the collection and analysis of data regarding the weighted student formula (WSF); and

     (2)  Provide school communities with a more stable funding basis from which to plan and implement school operations,

by requiring the Committee on Weights (COW) to meet not less than biannually, every odd-numbered year, rather than annually, to review and make any necessary changes to the WSF.

     The Department of Education testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii Government Employees Association supported the intent of this measure.  The Hawaii State Teachers Association opposed this bill.

     Your Committee would like to clarify that the intent of the bill is to extend the amount of time between required reviews and subsequent adoption of the WSF:  COW shall meet at least once in every odd-numbered year to review the WSF, and the Board of Education shall meet at least once in every odd-numbered year to adopt the WSF based on the recommendations from COW.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by changing all instances of the term "biannual" to "biennial", which is more clearly defined as "once every two years."

     Your Committee has further amended this bill by making other technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 17, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 17, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair