STAND. COM. REP. NO. 502

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 723

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 723 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve public education in Hawaii by:

(1) Requiring whole child education--i.e., instruction in visual arts, music, theater, dance, Hawaiian and Polynesian studies, Hawaiian language, native Hawaiian culture, native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, and physical education;

(2) Expanding the public prekindergarten program to all children in the year prior to the year of kindergarten eligibility by the 2023-2024 school year;

(3) Supporting special education by:

(A) Requiring that special education teachers have at least forty hours per year to prepare and complete tasks related to individualized education programs;

(B) Requiring the Legislature to consider making an appropriation to the Department of Education to provide an annual allocation to each special education teacher for instructional materials and classroom resources;

(C) Requiring the Department of Education to establish a teacher recruitment program to recruit high school students to become public school teachers; and

(D) Appropriating funds for these purposes;

(4) Specifying new authority and responsibility for school principals regarding academic and financial planning, and increase the participation of teachers in academic and financial planning;

(5) Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, requiring all public schools to hire at least one person to staff each of the following positions:

(A) Librarian or library media specialist;

(B) Technology coordinator;

(C) Counselor; and

(D) Special education transition coordinator at all secondary schools;

(6) Allowing the Department of Education to establish, use, and manage a school-based debit card system to purchase school supplies and other related curriculum support materials, including exempting such debit card purchases from Chapter 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(7) Reducing class sizes at all grade levels.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus, Americans for Democratic Action, Hawai‘i Music Educators Association, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and many concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of Education, Executive Office on Early Learning, and State Procurement Office submitted comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the proposed expansion of the public prekindergarten program;

(2) Changing the school-based debit card system to a declining balance purchasing card program and subjecting all such purchases to Chapter 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 723, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 723, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair