STAND. COM. REP. NO.301

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 10

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 10 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COUNSELING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education to hire educational assistants and retired teachers as paraprofessional test coordinators to assist middle school and high school counselors.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure. The Department of Education submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee finds that with the implementation of the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards and the No Child Left Behind Act, the Department of Education's requirements of testing children has dramatically increased to the point that the testing requirements restrict the contact time a school counselor has with students. Paraprofessional assistance would greatly lessen the clerical workload placed on counselors, allowing them the time they need to work effectively with students.

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. 10 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair