STAND. COM. REP. NO. 469

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 82

       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. 82 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCILS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to provide training for school community councils of Department of Education high schools.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Workforce Development Council, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that pursuant to Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, as amended, School Community Councils were established in all public schools in the State to provide advisory support on each school's academic and financial plan.  School Community Councils play an important role in shaping a school's goals, priorities, programs, activities, and overall direction.

     Your Committee further finds that the School Community Councils are composed of school administrators and teachers, non‑certificated personnel of the Department of Education, as well as members of the community, parents, and students.  Thus, many members are unfamiliar with the operations and procedures of the Department of Education and would benefit greatly from appropriate training on basic operational information and on reform and redesign initiatives for all public schools.  Likewise, all members could benefit from training with other schools within a complex, which will help to ensure that schools' academic and financial plans are consistent with the educational accountability system and to assist the School Community Councils and principals in obtaining support and services from the Department of Education.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Extending its application to School Community Councils for all elementary, middle, and high schools within the Department of Education;

     (2)  Specifying that the School Community Councils within a complex shall be trained together;

     (3)  Requiring the training programs for School Community Councils to encourage school community councils to work collaboratively within each complex and include instruction on the basics of the operations of the Department of Education, including Department of Education terminology, procedures, and priorities;

     (4)  Including unspecified appropriation and allocation amounts; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity and style.

     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. 82, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 82, 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,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair