158
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF
   HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGES INITIATE A COLLABORATIVE
   PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE SERVICES FOR ADULTS AND EXPAND
   OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT WILL RESULT IN
   SUBSTANTIVE OUTCOMES FOR THE TWO ENTITIES.



 1       WHEREAS, a survey by the Office of Children and Youth
 2   reported that as much as one in five adults in Hawaii may be
 3   functionally illiterate and that an estimated 60,000 are in the
 4   workforce; and
 5   
 6       WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii Community Colleges
 7   (UHCC), which is open to all individuals 18 years of age or
 8   older, annually enrolls a significant number of adults who lack
 9   the basic skills to function effectively in the workplace and
10   in their daily lives; and
11   
12       WHEREAS, the UHCC's diverse programs deliver quality
13   postsecondary education and offer students a chance to learn
14   high technology skills that will enable them to meet the
15   demands of the 21st century; and
16   
17       WHEREAS, at the same time, the affordability and
18   accessibility of adult community school courses, especially in
19   the rural communities of the state, also provide important
20   services to the people of the State; and
21   
22       WHEREAS, as a result the Legislature has expressed concerns
23   overlapping adult education responsibilities, services, and
24   resources expended on the adult community schools of the
25   Department of Education (DOE) and the community service
26   programs of the UHCC; and
27   
28       WHEREAS, the Legislature has heard the competing interests
29   in adult education and literacy and wishes to have the
30   appropriate agencies work toward solutions that will best serve
31   the needs of the employers and the workforce; and,
32   
33       WHEREAS, the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998
34   provides Hawaii with the opportunity to implement a unified

 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   workforce plan, including basic adult education and literacy,
 2   which are critical to workforce preparation and skill training;
 3   now, therefore,
 4   
 5       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 6   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 7   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the DOE and the UHCC are
 8   requested to initiate a collaborative partnership to improve
 9   services for adults and expand opportunities for high school
10   students that will result in substantive outcomes for the two
11   entities; and
12   
13       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the partnership:
14   
15       (1)  Plan and implement curricula and programs;
16   
17       (2)  Develop procedures for student referral;
18   
19       (3)  Develop procedures to promote effective sharing of
20            resources to assure efficient coordination and
21            delivery of remedial and basic literacy courses; and
22   
23       (4)  Develop assessment strategies to better prepare adults
24            without high school diplomas and individuals age 16
25            and older, currently in high school who are seeking
26            further educational options, with the basic skills to
27            function effectively in the workplace and in their
28            daily lives, for either continued education and
29            training or employment; 
30   
31   and
32   
33       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that for the years 2001 through
34   2004, the DOE and UHCC are requested to jointly submit to the
35   Legislature an annual report detailing the progress made in
36   implementing the provisions of the partnership no later than
37   twenty days prior to each legislative session; and
38   
39       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
40   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of
41   Education and the Chancellor of the UHCC.
42 
43 
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45                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________