THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2521

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that special education services, including academic, speech-language, psychological, physical and occupational, and counseling accommodations, meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.  Governed by federal and state law, special education services are available to eligible students between three and twenty-two years of age who demonstrate a need for specially designed instruction.

     The legislature further finds that based on statewide assessments, most of the State's public school students with individualized education programs are performing below grade level in reading and mathematics.  In the 2013-2014 academic year, only twenty-two per cent were proficient in reading and fifteen per cent were proficient in math.  Moreover, between the 2004-2005 and 2013-2014 academic years, the achievement gap between special education students and general education students increased from thirty-eight percentage points to forty-eight percentage points for reading and from twenty-one percentage points to forty-nine percentage points in math.  For the 2016-2017 school year, the statewide achievement gap between high needs students, which includes English learners and economically disadvantaged students, and non-high needs students stood at thirty-three percentage points for language arts and twenty-eight percentage points for math.

     Closing the achievement gap between special needs students and their general education peers requires investing in additional resources for special education teachers and classrooms.  The purpose of this Act is to provide special education teachers funding for classroom materials to ensure a quality educational experience for all special needs students.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to provide up to $1,690 to each special education classroom teacher for instructional materials and equipment that support student learning.

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

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.



 

Report Title:

Special Education; Instructional Materials; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to the Department of Education to provide up to $1,690 to each special education classroom teacher for instructional materials and equipment.  Effective 7/1/2050.  (SD1)

 

 

 

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