Bill Text: HI SCR142 | 2010 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Education; Core Mission and Functions

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-24 - (S) Report adopted, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. [SCR142 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SCR142-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2846

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 142

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Education and Housing, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 142 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING RESEARCH AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A POLICY GROUP TO INFORM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S DETERMINATION OF ITS CORE MISSION AND CORE FUNCTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purposes of this measure is to request the Hawaii Educational Policy Center to convene a policy group to recommend a suitable process by which the Department of Education may determine its core mission and core functions.

 

     The Concurrent Resolution also requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to perform research on the core mission and core functions of other school districts and to provide information on the process these school districts have used to determine their respective core mission and core functions.

 

     The Hawaii Educational Policy Center supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Education submitted testimony expressing concerns about the measure.  The Legislative Reference Bureau submitted comments on the measure.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

    

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Education, the Legislature, the Governor, and the general public appear to lack a clear understanding or determination of the Department of Education's core mission and functions.  This deficiency has led to confusion with respect to distinguishing between the Department's essential duties and those responsibilities that are beneficial but perhaps not as critical to public education.  A determination of the Department's core mission and functions will allow the Department to more easily justify or assess the need for its programs and services to ultimately provide an efficient and effective public education system.

 

     Your Committee has amended the Concurrent Resolution by:

 

(1)  Clarifying that the research requested of the Legislative Reference Bureau involves "selected" school districts;

 

(2)  Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to identify the core mission and functions of these selected school districts rather than the processes used to identify them;

 

(3)  Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau and the policy task force to submit separate reports to the Legislature in order to ensure timely responses; and

 

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 142, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 142, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education and Housing,

 

		____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair