Bill Text: HI HB2247 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The State Board Of Education.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-27 - Referred to LHE, JUD, FIN, referral sheet 5 [HB2247 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-HB2247-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2247 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds Hawaii is the only state in the nation where a single department of education and a single statewide board run the public education system. All other states have school systems broken down into districts within the state. Each district has a separate board of education. Hawaii's single board of education is unlike any other state.
The legislature also finds the condition of Hawaii's public schools, in terms of facility maintenance, infrastructure, and school performance is below average. The department of education has a large deferred maintenance backlog, with an estimated 3,800 pending repair and maintenance projects totaling an estimated cost of $868 million for its 256 schools. Recent data from the Strive HI Performance System for Hawaii public schools also shows below average results for students meeting the statewide proficiency standards for the subject areas of language arts (54%), math (43%), and science (44%).
The legislature further finds the current centralization of the board of education undermines the autonomy that counties should have over their schools. Creating separate boards for each county will shift autonomy to the counties and better address the needs of the public schools within the county. This will provide more efficient and effective management of funds.
The purpose of this Act is to reorganize the structure of the current board of education and establish separate boards of education for each of the four counties of Hawaii.
SECTION 2. Section 302A-121, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
" (a)
The [board] boards shall consist of
[nine]
members as follows:
(1) [One member] members from the county of Hawaii;
(2) [One member] members from the county of Maui;
(3) [One member] members from the county of Kauai;
(4) [Three members]
members from the city and county of
Honolulu; and
(5) [Three] Four
at-large members, one for each county board; provided that the [governor]
mayors of each county shall select an at-large member as the chairperson[.]
of each board.
The members of each county board shall be
appointed by the [governor] mayor of the county, with the advice
and consent of the senate. The[governor]
mayor of each county may remove or suspend for cause any member of the board[.] that
serves on the board of the mayor's county.
(b) Pursuant to article XVIII, section 12, of the Hawaii State Constitution, the period of transition from the elected to the appointed board shall be as determined in section 21 of Act 5, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011.
(c) The members of [the] each county
board shall serve without pay but shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary expenses,
including travel and board and lodging expenses, while attending [meetings of the board] board
meetings or when actually engaged in business relating to [the work of
the board] each member's county
board for which they serve.
(d) Pursuant to section 302A-447, the state
student council shall select a nonvoting public high school student
representative to [the board] each of the county boards.
(e)
Pursuant to section 302A-1101(c), [the board] each county
board shall invite the senior military commander in Hawaii to appoint [a]
one nonvoting military representative to [the board] serve on
each county board."
SECTION 3. Section 302A-201, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
§302A-201 Statewide
performance standards. "[The
board] Each county board shall create [establish statewide] its
own recommendations for student performance standards and the means
to assess the standards based upon the recommendations in the final report of
the performance standards commission established pursuant to Act 334, Session
Laws of Hawaii 1991; provided that each county board will present its
findings to the performance standards commission, and the [board] commission
may review and modify the performance standards, as the [board] commission
deems necessary, to reflect the needs of public school students and educational
goals adopted by [the board] each county board."
SECTION 4.
Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Board of Education; County Boards
Description:
Changes the Board of Education from one centralized Board to a Board for each county. Gives authority to county mayors to appoint members to the Board.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
