STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1405

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 869
                                     S.D. 2




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No.
869, S.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure the adequate provision
of school counselors for "at-risk students" at certain schools.

     The bill defines "at-risk students" as "students with a
family court record or failing grades, or both, or who need
special motivation with particular attention paid to them".

     Your Committee finds that the counselor-student ratio in
Hawaii seriously lags behind the ratio recommended by the
American School Counselor Association.  Hawaii currently has
double the ratio recommended by the Association of three hundred
students to one counselor.  This translates into an enormous
workload for counselors who not only cannot provide adequate
attention to at-risk students, but also neglect other not-at-risk
students with different problems and concerns.

     The problem is further exacerbated in school districts where
large percentages of children live in poverty, are on public
assistance, and have limited English proficiency.


 
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     Your Committee finds that concentrating counselor resources
in needed areas is essential to providing quality education to
not only at-risk students, but for all other students who depend
on the assistance of school counselors.

     Your Committee received favorable testimony from the Hawaii
State Teachers Association, a retired teacher, and a high school
counselor.  The Department of Education supported the intent of
the bill and submitted comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
869, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair

 
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