HR159

WHEREAS, Hawaii's public schools, administrators, teachers, personnel, and, most importantly, students are still in a state of vulnerability and recovery amidst the aftermath of the COVID‑19 pandemic's academic and social-emotional impacts; and

WHEREAS, although Hawaii's students have demonstrated admirable resilience over the past three years despite these challenges, student achievement in math and reading has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels; and

WHEREAS, federal relief dollars associated with COVID-19 recovery are still available and unassigned, and may be used flexibly to assist in mitigating learning loss and social‑emotional learning gaps for students in K-12 public schools; and

WHEREAS, more than forty percent of school districts and charter schools across the country plan to utilized federal COVID-19 relief monies to fund tutoring programs that will close gaps in reading and mathematics caused by COVID-19 related learning loss; and

WHEREAS, as of July 2022, nearly $3,000,000,000 of COVID-19 relief funds across the country have been allocated to math and reading tutoring programs; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Education approved Hawaii's COVID-19 relief plan in 2021, which included high dosage and individualized tutoring programs for students enrolled in Hawaii public schools; and

WHEREAS, research consistently shows that high dosage tutoring is one of the most effective ways to increase student achievement; and

WHEREAS, providing tutoring to Hawaii's students will minimize learning loss and stimulate student academic growth; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Board of Education is requested to produce a report, in partnership with the Department of Education, on increasing access to tutoring services within and outside of Hawaii's K-12 public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in preparing the report, the Board of Education is requested to:

(1) Assess student access and equity regarding tutoring services in the Hawaii public school system;

(2) Assess the remaining amount of COVID-19 relief funds allotted via the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, and federal American Rescue Plan for tutoring purposes;

(3) Recommend methods to support schools' efforts to engage the community and hire in-person tutors where possible with tutoring sessions occurring on campus and during school hours, with individualized virtual tutoring available in the event that there is not enough staff for full in-person tutoring;

(4) Articulate how funds can be prioritized for schools that serve predominantly low-income populations, especially schools that qualify for Title I funding, in rural or remote areas that may struggle to find in-person tutors and onsite school interventionists and for schools experiencing academic distress;

(5) Include how students not attending a school described in paragraph (4) but who still require assistance to recover from COVID-19 related learning loss, including students with special needs, can access tutoring; and

(6) Include an examination of how a fund or reimbursement process could be established for students to access private tutoring in the event that their school is not offering an on-campus or virtual program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education is requested to submit the report, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Superintendent of Education.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Board of Education; Department of Education; Tutoring Services; Report

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	159
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII