Small Business Hawaii

Last month, the Hawaii Business Roundtable, comprised of a group of 50 CEOs whose companies control $12.7 billion in annual revenues, offered up a plan that retains the current top-down DOE bureaucracy, modified by provisions such as a governor-appointed Board of Education which would require a ²/3 House and Senate vote for a constitutional amendment. In other words, whatever merits the plan may have, it comes too late in the legislative process to implement. However, the crux of the plan to raise $500,000 for consultants to train principals coincides nicely with the Senate and House Democrat's education reform proposals that include a Principal Academy at the University of Hawaii. Roundtable members Evan Dobelle and Mazie Hirono may be pleased that at least this part of their proposal may be implemented.

On Friday, March 5, House Finance Chair Dwight Takamine asked his committee to vote on amendments to the House education reform bill, HB2002 HD2, without a written draft. According to Rep. Takamine's and Rep. Takumi's staff, House Education Chair Roy Takumi attended the meeting and gave committee members the gist of what amendments would be included. The House Finance Committee then passed the bill, sight unseen, to meet the midnight deadline for decking all bills.

When the amended text of the bill emerged the following morning, it included an appropriation of $500,000 for consulting fees for the Principal Academy and $183,780 to fund positions, trainers, and expenses for its operation, which would allow for private contracts to Roundtable members and others while leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. Also included in the bill was a "new" amendment which simply restates current law: "93.5 percent of the total department operating budget will be spent for schools and DOE administration shall not exceed 6.5 percent of the total department operating budget." However, this provision was enacted into law under §302A-1301 in 1995.

Nullifying this law, however, is a new provision that would allow the DOE administration to move positions or funds in the operating budget into any other program or to cover any other costs in the DOE system. Even though the legislature appropriates money for teachers or textbooks under this act, new language in the bill would allow the DOE to spend the money on unrelated positions or costs. Any weighted student formula would be based on whatever costs the DOE decides to include in the formula.

Bill Allows Unions to Overrule Community Participation

While Democrats have been quick to claim that their reform measures will "enhance School/Community-based Management (SCBM)" the current proposals actually deletes the SCBM law, along with the councils' right to waive collective bargaining agreements. Other provisions inserted or removed in the amended House bill include:

All stakeholder input into selection of school personnel is deleted. No change to collective bargaining agreements with the Hawaii State Teachers' Association, bargaining Unit 5, and the Hawaii Government Employees' Association, bargaining Unit 6 for educational officers, are allowed. Unions have exclusive veto power over any school based council decisions as outlined in existing memoranda of agreement and memoranda of understanding between the Board of Education and these public sector unions.

Therefore, under this law, "shared decision-making" would not include anyone beyond the BOE and unions. Only a "state agency" may allow waivers to collective bargaining agreements if it can "justify to the appropriate authority," i.e. unions. Bill Giveth with One Hand and Taketh Away with Another

This bill promises to provide $3 million for textbooks, appropriate funds for 75 new K-2 teachers to reduce class sizes in those grades, expand Parent Networking Centers, set up a weighted student formula, provide money for principal training, turn over repair and maintenance of schools from the Department of Accounting and General Services to the DOE, appropriate funds to set up mandatory school councils and allow any school or learning support center to waive collective bargaining and then negates all of these improvements in other portions of the bill.

The net effect of these maneuverings is that Democrat legislators have turned education reform into one big shell game of "now you see it, now you don't." Certainly, when all of the shuffling of these bills is done, the one thing the public won't see is education reform.

Laura Brown is the education reporter and researcher for HawaiiReporter.com and the education policy analyst for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Reach her via email at laurabrown@hawaii.rr.com. © 2004 Hawaii Reporter, Inc.

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