STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3465

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 118

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 118 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO ENSURE THAT ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT FOR EDUCATION IN THE STATE WILL MEET THE PUBLIC'S EXPECTATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Education to convene a task force to study funding adequacy and the achievement thereof.

     Testimony in opposition of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that public schools in Hawaii are in dire need of funding not only to provide adequate facilities and learning materials to meet current mandates for schools, but also to strive to achieve a comprehensive public education system that provides state-of-the-art facilities, qualified teachers and administrators, and cutting-edge learning experiences for children in preschool through postsecondary education.  Although the task often seems insurmountable, it is critical to address the current and future funding needs of the public school system as well as the propriety of appropriations made and the use of those funds. 

     This measure requests the Department of Education to convene a task force to examine methods for determining the current funding inadequacies and methods establishing a workable plan necessary to address such inadequacies.  However, your Committee determines that, while adequacy of funding is a key issue, transparency and accountability of the Department of Education is also crucial in ensuring that high quality public education is being provided, which includes the improvement, expansion, and establishment of new facilities and programs, as necessary. 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the request that the Department of Education convene a task force to study funding adequacy within the public school system;

     (2)  Changing the title of the measure to reflect the Legislature's request for status reports on recommendations of program and school audits including comparisons of Hawaii's utilization and adequacy of funding;

     (3)  Requesting the Department of Education to convene a working group to propose areas for improved transparency and an implementation plan for such purpose;

     (4)  Specifying areas and issues for the working group to consider;

     (5)  Requesting the Hawaii Policy Education Center to conduct a study of existing data that compares Hawaii, national averages, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Kansas, and Washington and at least five other "peer" states suggested by the Department of Education in specified areas; and

     (6)  Requesting the working group and the Hawaii Educational Policy Center to report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2009.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 118, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 118, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair