Bill Text: HI HCR110 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The State Auditor To Perform An Audit On The Procedures For And Determinations On Applications For Geographic Exceptions Within The Department Of Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-11 - Referred to LHE, FIN, referral sheet 40 [HCR110 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-HCR110-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	110
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the state auditor to perform an audit on the PROCEDURES FOR AND DETERMINATIONS ON APPLICATIONS FOR geographic exceptions within the department of education.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, section 302A-1143, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires a person of school age to attend the school of the service area, as determined by the Department of Education, in which the person resides, unless one of three exceptions applies; and

 

     WHEREAS, one exception to this requirement is a requested geographic exception to attend a school in another service area, which may be granted at the discretion of the Department of Education; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 8-13-4, Hawaii Administrative Rules, vests authority to approve or disapprove a geographic exception in the principal of the receiving school, after communicating with the home school principal; and

 

     WHEREAS, Board of Education Policy 500-12, relating to geographic exceptions to the mandatory school attendance law, provides that the process established by the Department of Education for the handling and approval of geographic exception requests shall be "equitable, widely publicized and 'user friendly' to parents and children"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the number of students attending public schools in Hawaii under geographic exceptions has increased significantly in recent years, with slightly over twenty thousand students receiving geographic exceptions during the 2018-2019 school year, as compared to approximately eight thousand students in 2005; and

 

     WHEREAS, many Hawaii families have expressed concerns regarding the fairness and objectivity of the criteria employed when processing geographic exception requests; and

 

     WHEREAS, gathering information and exploring potential reforms related to geographic exception procedures will promote equity and accountability in serving the diverse educational needs of Hawaii's public school students; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the Senate concurring, that the State Auditor is requested to perform an audit, pursuant to article VII, section 10, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, on the procedures for and determinations on applications for geographic exceptions within the Department of Education; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the audit is requested to include the following:

 

     (1)  An analysis of the historical use of geographic exceptions that reaches back at least ten years from the present school year;

 

     (2)  Disaggregated data categorized by home school and receiving school; student demographics, including ethnicity, for geographic exceptions that were approved and those that were disapproved; special education services needed; status as an English Language Learner student; status as a student recipient of free or reduced lunch; and the reasons provided for approval or disapproval;

 

     (3)  A compilation of:  the date of application for a geographic exception by a parent or substitute legal guardian with the date of receipt by a school, the number of days prior to or after the March 1 deadline that the application was received, the number of days it took for a school to respond to the application, and whether a written appeal was made and its outcome;

 

     (4)  The number of students attending school under a geographic exception as a percentage of total enrollment numbers for each school;

 

     (5)  The appropriateness of geographic exception review procedures, including principal-applicant interviews and consideration of student grades and test scores;

 

     (6)  The feasibility and possible timeline for implementing an online geographic exception and school enrollment platform;

 

     (7)  How other states administer geographic exception programs; and

 

(8)  Equity implications based on the information contained in the audit, clarifying any opportunities to promote a more efficient allocation of funds and objective standards for approval or disapproval in the geographic exception process; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Auditor is requested to submit a report of the Auditor's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, 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 Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the State Auditor, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

State Auditor; Department of Education; Geographic Exceptions; Audit