STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3213

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 115

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Education and Human Services, to which was referred S.R. No. 115 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONDUCT A TWO-YEAR PILOT PROJECT TO IMPLEMENT CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ON A BLOCK BASIS RATHER THAN ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Education to form a working group to assist in conducting a two-year pilot program to implement contracts for students with disabilities on a block basis rather than on a one-to-one basis.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Special Education Advisory Council, and Community Children's Councils.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, Hawaii Association for Behavior Analysis, and one individual.

     Your Committees find that students with disabilities often have complex needs that are different from those of other students.  The Department of Education provides services to these students with disabilities on a one-to-one basis.  Your Committees further find that one-to-one services can prevent students with disabilities from participating in group instruction activities, which can obstruct learning and inhibit peer-to-peer interaction.  Providing services to students with disabilities on a block basis will allow students with disabilities to benefit from group instruction.  However, your Committees recognize that some students with disabilities have needs that are best addressed with one-to-one services.

     Your Committees also find that participation by education administrators would allow the working group to better implement the pilot project.  Participation by an adult with disabilities who has gone through the state public school system would also be valuable to the working group.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the contracts on a block basis may be in addition to contracts on a one-to-one basis and amending its title to reflect this change;

     (2)  Adding one elementary school principal, one secondary school principal, and one adult who passed through the Hawaii public school system as a student to the working group; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 115, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 115, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Human Services,

________________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair