HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1092

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL INNOVATION GRANTS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that it is a matter of statewide concern to authorize public school innovation and systemic school empowerment under the auspices of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), authorized as P.L. 114-95.  ESSA offers the State of Hawaii a new opportunity to set a renewed vision of high expectations and move away from a "one size fits all" approach to student learning.  ESSA provides our public school system the authority to embrace public school innovation and systemic school empowerment, within a context of Hawaii's unique values, beliefs, culture, history and language.

     The legislature further finds that there is a public benefit from school-level innovation, beginning with the development of exemplary leadership and elevation of the teaching profession.  Such exemplary leadership will reflect school-level and community-based input, recognize visionary educational practices, and reward achievement of school-based targets. Teachers will be empowered to adopt educational practices that support global learner outcomes based upon individual assessments rather than standardized testing.

     The Board of Education shall, as a matter of statewide policy, encourage innovation in department of education schools that support global learner outcomes and recognize cultural context.  All public schools shall be challenged to close achievement gaps and prepare students to be successful in a new innovation economy.

     The purpose of this Act is to provide authority to the Board of Education to award grants to support school-level innovations reflecting visionary and aspirational educational practices that will result in closing student achievement gaps, and to provide a funding mechanism for these grants. 

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§302A-    Public school innovation grants.  (a)  There is established within the department of education, a public school innovation grants program under the direction of the board of education.  The board shall, on an annual basis:

     (1)  Adopt guiding principles and measures of success to implement the purposes of the program;

     (2)  Develop a request for proposals based upon the guiding principles and measures of success, including a schedule of proposal submission and award deadlines;

     (3)  Ensure that information about the grant program is published and broadcast via electronic media sites managed by the department of education;

     (4)  Create a grant review and awards committee composed of eleven members to include the board chairperson, a second board member, the student board member, four teachers, three principals, and one parent; provided that the counties of Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii shall each be represented by a committee member; and

     (5)  Make awards to schools or programs that reflect the board's guiding principles and that have the potential for knowledge transfer within the public school system.

     (c)  Beginning with the convening of the 2019 regular session, the board of education shall submit to the legislature, an annual report including:

     (1)  A list of the schools or programs receiving the grants and the amount of each grant;

     (2)  A description of the innovations being supported by each grant; and

     (3)  The measures of success being used for each grant.

     §302A-    Public school innovation grants special fund.  (a)  There is established in the state treasury, the public school innovation grants special fund, into which shall be deposited:

     (1)  Fifty per cent of the carryover of funds pursuant to section 37-41.5(a);

     (2)  Appropriations made by the legislature to the fund; and

     (3)  All interest and earnings accruing from the investment of moneys in the fund.

     (b)  Moneys in the public school innovation grants special fund shall be used to make awards to schools or programs that reflect the board's guiding principles and that have the potential for knowledge transfer within the public school system."

     SECTION 3.  Section 37-41.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a), to read as follows:

     "(a)  The department of education may retain up to five per cent of any appropriation, except for appropriations to fund financing agreements entered into in accordance with chapter 37D, at the close of a fiscal year; provided that the department shall transfer an amount for innovation grants as directed by the board, for allocation to the public school innovation grants special fund and the funds retained shall not lapse until June 30 of the first fiscal year of the next fiscal biennium.  The department of education shall submit:

     (1)  A report to the director of finance ninety days after the close of each fiscal year, which shall be prepared in the form prescribed by the director of finance and shall identify the total amount of funds that will carry over to the next fiscal year; and

     (2)  A copy of this report to the legislature, as well as a report identifying the carryover of funds on a school-by-school basis, at least twenty days prior to the convening of the next regular session of the legislature."

     SECTION 4.  Section 302A-1101, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  There shall be a principal executive department to be known as the department of education, which shall be headed by a policy-making board to be known as the board of education.  The board shall have power in accordance with law to formulate statewide educational policy, adopt student performance standards and assessment models, monitor school success, administer the public school innovation grants program, and appoint the superintendent of education as the chief executive officer of the public school system."

     SECTION 5.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii, the sum of $10,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018, for deposit into the public school innovation grants special fund.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the public school innovation grants special fund the sum of $10,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018, for the public school innovation grants program.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 7.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 8.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2017.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

BY REQUEST

 


 


 

Report Title:

Public School Innovation Grants Program

 

Description:

Establishes the public school innovation grants program to support school-level innovations; authorizes the board of education to administer the grants program; provides a funding mechanism for these grants; establishes a special fund.

 

 

 

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