SCR118 SD1

WHEREAS, the Department of Education is a large and complex organization that can be operated and organized like a business entity, but not in all ways; and

WHEREAS, to many outside, the Department of Education operates in questionable or undeterminable ways, which thereby leaves the Department open to unwarranted criticism; and

WHEREAS, the functions of administration, human resources, fiscal services, information technology services, and business services of the Department of Education can benefit by a review of its functions, processes, and organization; and

WHEREAS, many audits have been conducted on various Department of Education services, offices, programs, and functions but whether the recommendations of the audits have had effect is questionable; and

WHEREAS, the key to Hawaii's future success is a strong public schools system that equips our keiki with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to succeed; and

WHEREAS, the public education system in Hawaii is in dire need of increased funding to improve, expand, and grow new programs and facilities; and

WHEREAS, the public education system also has to address the pending backlog of infrastructure and facilities repair and maintenance projects estimated to currently be $400,000,000 in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, providing air conditioning in all schools will cost $750,000,000, excluding the costs required for increasing the electrical capacity and the costs of increased electrical usage; and

WHEREAS, updating and providing textbooks for every student; providing access to high-end computers, learning tools, and resources; and adequately supporting every child with a caring, concerned, and competent adult mentor should be the minimum we should expect in every school; and

WHEREAS, instruments for school bands and orchestras, basic but computerized machinery for today's technical jobs in construction, auto mechanics, and electronics for vocational-technical programs such as Project EAST, robotics, and solar cars, and equipment for video production are all now presently beyond the budget of most schools and can only be purchased through grants, fundraising, or gifts; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's public schools are increasingly taking on the responsibility of educating students with language and cultural challenges such as Marshallese students, students with economic and knowledge deficiencies, and student with physical and learning issues, all students in need of special attention and differentiated learning environments; and

WHEREAS, providing expanded educational opportunities such as International Baccalaureate, robotics, schools-within-schools, construction, tourism, and health academies, and other experiential learning initiatives cost more than the traditional classroom; and

WHEREAS, noncompetitive salaries for educational assistants, school psychologists, business managers, therapists, and pre-school teachers make filling positions with highly qualified individuals a constant challenge; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, the Department of Education commissioned a study on funding that would adequately support the vision and goals of the State of Hawaii Department of Education and Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, the Adequacy Funding Study indicated that increased funding of seventeen per cent or $278,000,000 was necessary for schools to achieve adequate standards; and

WHEREAS, the study also recommended the establishment of a commission with sub-committees, to examine the different aspects of the adequacy funding implementation proposed, update the adequacy models, oversee the development of alternative model schools, define performance goals for different funding levels, and communicate with various stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, no further action on the recommendations of the study has been undertaken by the Department of Education or the Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, the general public seeks assurance that our public education dollars are being spent wisely; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education should address critics as well as supporters' questions regarding the $2.3 billion spent on public education; and

WHEREAS, if the public is assured that the current funds appropriated to the Department of Education are being appropriately utilized and are at a level below the amounts needed to provide a high quality education for each child, then the public would likely consider supporting increased funding; and

WHEREAS, polls conducted in 2003 and 2007 suggested that up to seventy-seven per cent of those polled would support paying additional taxes for public education; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education needs to improve the presentation and transparency provided to the public and policymakers regarding the amounts budgeted and spent by the Department; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to convene a working group, which includes individuals with expertise in business and fiscal management, to propose areas for improved transparency and an implementation plan to accomplish such; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that for each of its priorities, the working group shall develop recommendations on more effective, transparent, and cost-saving processes; organizations; accounting and reporting; and rules and regulations, as well as on needed resources and funding; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Hawaii Educational Policy Center is requested to undertake 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 areas such as:

(1) Average class size;

(2) Student-teacher ratio;

(3) Average number of students per counselor;

(4) Length of school day and school year;

(5) Per pupil funding;

(6) Percentage of students with special needs and school budget dedicated to those students;

(7) Percentage of school budget spent on administration; and

(8) Other data that might indicate the reasons for high completion rates and proposes measures (funding and resources) needed in Hawaii to provide comparable educational services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group and the Hawaii Educational Policy Center are requested to prepare a final or progress report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the Acting Director of the Hawaii Educational Policy Center.

Report Title:

DOE; Task Force; Funding Utilization/Student Achievement

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	118
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII