STAND. COM. REP. 2270

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2318

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2318 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide one permanent half-time teacher's aide for each Department of Education third grade classroom.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and an individual.

Your Committee finds that third grade is a critical year for students preparing for upper grades, to ensure that they achieve academic standards in performance assessments mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Teacher's aides provide invaluable assistance to the teacher by performing a variety of instruction-related tasks and activities to help the students learn, develop, and improve in their academic, social, behavioral, and developmental skills. Ensuring that there is a teacher's aide in each third grade classroom will ensure that the teacher is provided with this needed assistance. However, the advanced skills of a teacher would be even more effective.

Your Committee has amended the measure to require that schools first attempt to provide a part-time teacher in each third grade classroom and, if none are available, to provide a part-time teacher's aide.

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. 2318, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2318, S.D. 1, 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