Bill Text: HI HR151 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting That The Department Of Education Contract With A Third-party Consultant That Specializes In School Finance To Study The Adequacy Of Public Education Funding In Hawaii.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-28 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cabanilla Arakawa, C. Lee excused (2). [HR151 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2019-HR151-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
151 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONTRACT WITH A THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT THAT SPECIALIZES IN SCHOOL FINANCE TO STUDY THE ADEQUACY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING IN HAWAII.
WHEREAS,
the Legislature finds that Article X, section 1, of the Constitution of the
State of Hawaii requires the State to provide a statewide system of public schools;
and
WHEREAS, compared to other states, Hawaii
is unique because the State, rather than a county or local-level jurisdiction,
is responsible for public education; and
WHEREAS, as a result, funding for public
education in Hawaii is primarily sourced from the general fund of the State;
and
WHEREAS, the Legislature also finds that
adequate funding is crucial to provide each of Hawaii's children with high
quality educational opportunities; and
WHEREAS, some studies find that education
funding in Hawaii is lagging in comparison to districts of similar size and
cost of living; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, a Department of Business,
Economic Development, and Tourism analysis of real property tax in the State
found that Hawaii's education expenditure represents a 27.3 percent share of
combined state and local government expenditures, which is the lowest in the
nation; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature further finds that
underfunding public schools undermines the State's goal of providing a quality
education to all of Hawaii's children; and
WHEREAS, insufficient education funding
results in higher class sizes; a lack of adequate classroom supplies;
elimination of arts, career, and technical education courses; budget cuts for
special education and English Language Learner programs; and an increasing
number of vacant teacher positions, among other things; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to understand the
amount of funding needed to adequately fund public education to support student
learning and provide a quality education to Hawaii's children; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Department of Education is requested to contract with a third-party consultant to conduct a study on the adequacy of public education funding in the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the third-party consultant shall specialize in school finance and have previous experience conducting studies of public education systems in multiple jurisdictions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall:
(1) Assess the equity of funding among schools throughout Hawaii's
public school system;
(2) Review school funding studies performed in other states, including
the 2016 study "Using the Evidence-Based Method to Identify Adequate
Spending Levels for Vermont Schools" by Picus Odden & Associates and
the 2007 study "Washington Adequacy Funding Study" by the Educational
Policy Improvement Center;
(3) Employ multiple methods to evaluate the adequacy of school funding;
(4) Identify variables most closely associated with a high-quality
education and estimate the amount of additional funding needed to provide all
public school students in Hawaii with an equal education opportunity;
(5) Compare Hawaii teacher salaries with teacher salaries in school
districts of similar size and cost of living to determine compensation
characteristics that impact the Department of Education's ability to recruit
and retain effective teachers; and
(6) Include findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation for
consideration; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a copy of the study to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.
DOE; Public Education; Funding Adequacy; Study
