STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 596-20
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2020
RE: H.B. No. 2697
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2697 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a No Time to Lose Commission (Commission) to examine how the State's public schools can be internationally competitive.
Your Committee finds that when looking at high performing public school systems several components contribute to their success. The first component is that kids come to kindergarten ready to learn and for Hawaii that means high quality programs administrated by the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) and Headstart. Your Committee is considering building out EOEL programs and providing more early learning opportunities for all three- and four-year old children across the State.
The second component is making sure all curricula are internationally benchmarked. For example, a pre- "Race to the Top" national government association came together and came up with specific metrics, which the Department of Education (DOE) adopted, and which the State should consider keeping.
The third component is in regards to career and technical education (CTE). Your Committee additionally finds that there are robust CTE programs in high performing schools and that DOE has formally taken steps to build out its computer science programs. This, along with traditional CTE coursework, is important and is done in a manner that is individualized and specific to that school's community.
Your Committee strongly believes the State needs to do a better job of supporting Hawaii's teachers and providing more flexibility. In other high performing systems, teachers are afforded time for teacher preparation, teacher collaboration, and working with students.
Your Committee further finds that the Commission established by this measure is intended to complement the Superintendent of Education's ten year plan and will lead to better results for Hawaii's public school system.
High-performing systems in the United States and other places around the world are using American-based research and applying them to their school systems. These high-performing school systems are perplexed as to why Hawaii does not do the same for its school system.
Lastly, for high performing systems that have the characteristics described above, all of them have improved and demonstrated that greater results are possible.
Your Committee notes that concerns
were raised by HGEA and others, including various principals from multiple
islands, regarding the requirement that the Commission consider the rotation of
school administrators. After careful consideration, your Committee
recognizes those concerns and agrees that the requirement should be removed.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that the Commission shall consider:
(A) Individual teacher preparation time within their regular scheduled hours to allow teachers to adequately prepare for instruction the following day;
(B) Collaborative teacher preparation time within their regular scheduled hours to allow opportunities for similar-grade teachers to facilitate conversation regarding effective pedagogy and the creation of high quality lesson plans; and
(C) Time for teachers within their regular scheduled hours to work with students who have not mastered any lessons;
(2) Include in the Commission's considerations higher compensation given to all teachers to produce competitive pay that drastically affects high quality teacher recruitment and retention;
(3) Deleting the requirement for the Commission to consider the rotation of principals and vice principals among the public elementary, middle or intermediate, and high schools in a complex area;
(4) Changing the composition of the members of the Commission as follows:
(A) Changing the Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Lower and Higher Education, or the Chair's designee, to a member of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(B) Changing the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, or the Chair's designee, to a member of the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;
(C) Removing a Department of Education principal and teacher;
(D) Adding the Chairperson of the Early Learning Board, or the Chairperson's designee;
(E) Adding the Chairperson of the State Public Charter School Commission, or the Chairperson's designee;
(F) Adding the Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Education, or the Dean's designee;
(G) Adding the President of the Hawaii State Parent Teacher Student Association, or the President's designee; and
(H) Clarifying that a representative from bargaining unit (5), the Hawaii State Teachers Association, is invited to be a member;
(5) Requiring the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives to select a chairperson of the Commission;
(6) Exempting members of the Commission from the financial disclosure requirements of sections 84-13 and 84-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes;
(7) Changing the deadline for the Commission to report its findings to no later than twenty days prior to the 2021 Regular Session, and report any additional findings and progress toward the state public school system becoming internationally competitive to the 2022 Regular Session and each regular session thereafter;
(8) Upon request of the Board of Education,
requiring the Commission to create a master plan of its findings and how to
implement the master plan, which shall be recommended to the Board;
(9) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050; and
(10) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee notes that the operational and startup costs for the Commission are estimated to be $25,000.
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. 2697, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2697, 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,
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____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair |
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