Small Business News
June 2004 | Online Edition
Sun Sets on School Reform in Hawaii
By Laura Brown, Hawaii Reporter
May 6 was the waning day of Hawaii's 2004 legislative session, a session filled with promises of education reform. This week, Senate Democrats responded to Gov. Linda Lingle's veto of their "Reinventing Education Act of 2004" by overriding it. However, the Democrat Majority Party attempted to address the governor's request for "five easy fixes" with a floor amendment to HB 2002 HD2 SD1 CD1. The governor suggested the new measure be named the "Bipartisan Education Reform Act of 2004."
This is how these five changes appear within the final draft of the bill:
1. Equal funding to charter schools – This Act allows charter schools to select, as a group, whether to receive allocations through the weighted student formula for each fiscal biennium beginning on September 1, 2006. Charter school students now receive approximately half of the amount currently expended for public school students.
2. Timely implementation of weighted student formula funding – The Board of Education will adopt the Committee on Weights' recommended weighted student formula on Dec. 1, 2005. The department, upon the receipt of appropriated moneys, must use the weighted student formula to allocate funds to public schools. Logically, this means this method would be in place for the 2006 school year.
3. Allow principals to have increasing control over 70 percent of their budgets with the goal of 90 percent so they can spend the money how they wish in their own schools – A report will be given to the legislature in December 2004.
4. Put principals on performance-based contracts – Bill "requires implementation of development of plans" for principal contracts by 2006 –2007, but doesn't actually require performance contracts. The group determining the criteria for these performance contracts will all be members of the HGEA, the principal's union, plus an additional member picked by the Superintendent, who is also a member of the HGEA. However, performance contracts should be the responsibility of the Board of Education.
5. Make school councils advisory in nature to simplify lines of accountability – The revised bill still states that the principal "shall develop and present to the school community council for its review and approval, academic and financial plans relating to the school." After the councils review these plans, the Complex Area Superintendent (CAS) must give final approval. The Superintendent will be able to recommend removal of councils and even individual members and will have the power to set up interim councils at schools that have none or that have been abolished.
Timeline on Fake reform:
July 1, 2004 — Committee on Weights is formed.
Dec. 2004 – Report to legislature from Superintendent on Principal performance contract criteria
Dec. 2004 – Report to legislature detailing the programs and functions that would need to be placed under the control of individual schools to achieve certain benchmark figures in enabling principals to expend an increased percentage of the appropriations for total department of education budget, excluding debt service and capital improvement programs. The report shall include:(1) A list of functions and programs for which moneys would be expended by school principals at each of: (B) Eighty per cent; and (C) Ninety per cent of the appropriations for the total department of education budget, excluding debt service and capital improvement programs; (2) A description of required department infrastructure and system support, including any buyback programs for services, to achieve the benchmark figures in paragraph (1); and (3) A description of any other requirements foreseen by the department to be necessary to achieve the benchmark figures in paragraph.
End of 2004 — The principals' academy will be developed to provide training for principals in developing and implementing budgets, writing academic plans, and working effectively with school community councils.
Jan. 1, 2005 —15 pilot school community councils (SCCs) must be in place. $400,000, or $26,000 each, is appropriated to set-up these 15 councils. At that same cost, that would mean the DOE will require another $6.4 million in the next budget to set up the rest of the councils. Previously, the DOE gave a one-time appropriation of $11,000 using federal money to each school that has an SCBM.
July 1, 2005 —All schools must have SCCs that will receive training on how to review and recommend for approval the academic and financial plans for their school. No details are included on who will be doing the training and at what cost.
December 1, 2005 —The board of education will initially adopt the weighted student formula recommended by the committee on weights. April 1, 2006 — Principals will prepare and submit to the school community councils their academic and financial plans, which will be approved by the complex area superintendent.
July 15, 2006 —School allocations based on the weighted student formula will be made.
Sept. 1, 2006 – Charter schools as a group may select whether or not to participate in weighted student funding.
Over the next three years — The development of performance-based contracts for principals, the adoption of a unified school calendar, and a reduction of the bureaucracy that hinders the department of education in providing support services for the schools.
Therefore, in the final analysis, the amended bill does not provide equal funding for charter schools, does not give principals control over their budgets, does not put a weighted student funding formula into effect until the 2006 school year, does not put principals on performance contracts and allows for the central bureaucracy to override decisions made by the principal.
It looks like the Legislature has made a full circle back to square one. Meanwhile, the saga goes on as children continue to age out, or worse, drop out of the system.
Laura Brown is the education reporter and researcher for HawaiiReporter.com and the education policy analyst for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. She can be reached via email at laurabrown@hawaii.rr.com | Copyright 2004 Hawaii Reporter
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