96
THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO CONDUCT A STUDY
    ON THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S PLAN TO MOVE SIXTH GRADE
    STUDENTS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TO INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS.


 1        WHEREAS, the Department of Education wishes to combine
 2   sixth grades with seventh and eighth grades as part of its
 3   "Middle School Concept Plan"; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the Middle School Concept Plan has only been
 6   partially implemented in the Honolulu District, and the
 7   Department of Education's goal is to eventually expand the
 8   program statewide, in the hopes that the sixth grade students
 9   will benefit from the broader educational opportunities in the
10   intermediate schools; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, parents and guardians of students who may be
13   affected by the Middle School Concept Plan may not be
14   adequately informed of its ramifications, and may not have had
15   a full opportunity for input and discussion; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, the implementation of the Middle School Concept
18   Plan will require additional funding to develop and provide
19   additional sixth grade curricula and programs; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, the shifting of resource requirements to the
22   intermediate schools to fund additional sixth grade curricula
23   and programs may have a negative effect on both the elementary
24   and the intermediate schools; now, therefore,
25   
26        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
27   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that the
28   Legislative Reference Bureau, with the assistance of the
29   Department of Education, is requested to conduct a study on the
30   Department of Education's plan to move sixth grade students
31   from the elementary schools to intermediate schools, which
32   shall include:
33   
34        (1)  An investigation and consideration of the concerns of
35             parents and the communities affected;
36   
37        (2)  An investigation and consideration of the concerns of
38             sixth grade students, as well as all other elementary
39             and intermediate students;
40   

 
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 1        (3)  A specific determination of anticipated funding needs
 2             and resource adjustments;
 3   
 4        (4)  A reevaluation of whether the means fit the goals of
 5             the program; and
 6   
 7        (5)  An evaluation of alternatives to the middle school
 8             plan, such as combining the seventh and eighth grades
 9             with the elementary schools.
10   
11   and
12   
13        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference
14   Bureau submit its findings and recommendations to the
15   Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
16   the Regular Session of 2001; and
17   
18        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
19   Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education
20   and the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.