Democrats ready to vote on education reform bill

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer

Democrats reached agreement yesterday on an education reform package that could fundamentally change how Hawai'i's public schools are financed and give principals, teachers, parents and students new power over school decisions.

Democrats described the legislation as a comprehensive attempt to improve the statewide school system, which is struggling to raise test scores and end the achievement gap among poor and Hawaiian students.

"I see this as a major change in the way of doing business," said state Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake), the chairman of the Senate Education Committee. "It really empowers principals and school communities to shape their future from the school level."

State Rep. Roy Takumi, D-36th (Pearl City, Palisades), the chairman of the House Education Committee, said that while the legislation is not perfect, it could bring about major improvements to schools. "I really do believe this reinvents education," he said.

Lingle, whose proposal to break up the state Department of Education into local school districts with elected boards is now all but dead in the Legislature, could not immediately be reached for comment. Linda Smith, the governor's senior policy adviser, called the legislation "disturbing and disappointing."

Yesterday's action marked a milestone in one of the most significant education-reform debates in decades.

The Republican governor and state GOP leaders have already said they would make education an issue in House and Senate elections in November, and both political parties will put their spin on whether the final product will actually help schools.

"It's the facade of reform," said state Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawai'i Kai). "They're once again going to try to fool the public. But I think the majority party is making a mistake."

Several people closely involved in the reform debate have said privately that Lingle's passionate focus on education over the past several months has created the climate for change, and essentially forced Democrats to go further than they might have this session.

Ultimately, Democrats rejected Lingle's ideas, including a compromise the governor offered last week, but agreed that much more power needs to be transferred from the central DOE down to schools.

Spending formula

Under the Democrats' reform package, a DOE committee will study how to implement a weighted student formula by the 2006-2007 school year. The formula would base each school's finances on the individual characteristics of students instead of enrollment, with more money directed at students who, for example, require special education or are still learning English.

During the first three years of transition, schools would likely not gain or lose much money but, over time, as the process becomes more transparent, spending patterns would likely favor schools with the most challenging students, which could create more equity.

Charter schools, which already have flexibility over budget and curriculum decisions and are governed by individual school boards, opted not to be part of the new formula but can join later.

At first, school principals would control a minimum of 70 percent of operations money, after money for debt service and capital improvement projects is removed. In a bow to Lingle, who has insisted that principals need control over 90 percent of operations money, Democrats will ask the DOE to consider whether the amount should be increased.

According to the DOE, principals now have some control over about 15 percent of school spending, although reports have suggested the figure is closer to 3 percent.

Campus councils

The Democrats will also require that every school have a school council made up of the principal, teachers, school staff, parents, students and community representatives. The size of the councils can vary by school, and members would be chosen by the people they represent, so parents would elect parents and community representatives, teachers would choose teachers, and students would pick students.

Unlike School Community Based Management councils, which are in most schools today, the new councils will have discretion over a school's budget and academic plan and a voice in the hiring and evaluation of principals. But principals would have the right to appeal council decisions to complex-area superintendents, the state schools superintendent, and the state Board of Education.

Pilot program

An Advertiser poll released last week found that 54 percent of people interviewed statewide believe the new councils would improve the quality of schools.

The DOE will conduct a pilot program at several schools to train administrators on the new formula and to prepare schools for the new councils. The DOE will also report back to lawmakers about whether ties to other state agencies should be severed to give educators more autonomy.

"We want this to be successful," said state schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto. "There is too much to lose for this to fail.

"What we would lose could be our next generation of students."

Smith, the governor's adviser, said the new spending formula is significant, but the administration believes that shared decision-making between principals and the new councils raises serious questions about who is ultimately accountable for school performance. The administration was also critical about the Democrats' decision to allow a working group to come up with how principals could be placed on performance-based contracts, instead of requiring the contracts.

"There are many aspects of the bill that are very troubling," Smith said.

The Advertiser's poll also found strong support for more practical needs such as textbooks and smaller class sizes, and Democrats attempted to address those concerns.

The package includes $2.5 million for math textbooks and materials and $2.1 million to lower class sizes in the kindergarten-through-second grades. It also provides $1.7 million for Parent Community Networking Centers, $500,000 for a principals' academy, and $460,000 for year-round student activity coordinators in high schools.

Other than the textbook money — a one-time expense — the spending would be added to the state's two-year budget cycle. Schools would also be placed on single calendars by the 2006-2007 school year.

Although Democrats have now likely abandoned any changes to the structure of the state school board, they did require the BOE to hold at least two informal, town-hall style meetings in seven regions each year.

Hamamoto, who will lead the reform effort at the DOE, said the challenge is exciting.

"What this says is that the state of Hawai'i and the department are serious about reinvention," she said.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.