001Good morning. Welcome to the Senate Committee on Education. Today is Wednesday, April 19th, 10:45 a.m. and we are in hearing room 225. This meeting, including the audio and video of remote participants, is being streamed live on YouTube. You will find links to viewing options for all Senate meetings on the live and on demand video page of the legislaturator's website. This Zoom meeting and YouTube live stream event will include this 10:45 a.m. agenda for the Committee on Education. I'd like to take this time to remind our testifiers that due to time restrictions on our hearings, we will be limiting testimony to one minute per testifier. For people participating remotely, please remain muted and video disabled until shortly before it is your turn to testify. When I call your name, unmute yourself and your time will begin.
002After your minute is completed, staff will mute you so that we can move this hearing along in an orderly and efficient manner. Members, we have one item on our agenda this morning. HCR16 urging the committee on weights to recommend and the board of education to adopt a weighted student formula that gives greater consideration to small and remote schools. And to testify, we have Brian Hlet for superintendent, but I don't see him. Ken, please come forward. Morning, chair, vice chair, members of the committee. Ken Kakiasako with Department of Education. Everyone looking great in purple today. Sorry, we missed the memo, but um uh just just here to say that the department does stand on its testimony. Um we do appreciate the the um the committee's willingness to bring this issue up. This is something that we
003are going to be discussing at the next committee on weights as far as trying to give greater consideration to small and remote schools. So, it is going to be a focus for us at this upcoming cow which is going to be happening this summer. But we're here for any questions you might have. Thank you. Thank you. Next to testify, Leverne Moore, Hawaii State Teachers Association. Aloha chair, members of the committee. Leverne Moore speaking on behalf of OSA to president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. HSD strongly supports this resolution where said the bill wouldn't pass. I served on the first cow committee way back in in 2004 and I strongly advocated for special ed e students and hard not hard to staff but low-income students because that was my experience teaching in Honolulu. We those
004were our key issues. Had I known about the the injustice that are small desolated geographic located schools, I would have advocated strongly for funding for them. This is really important. It's an equity issue and we support this that please support it also. Thank you. Thank you, Learn. Next to testify, Alexandra Obra, principal, Woli Elementary School on Zoom. Present on Zoom. Chair, would you say present or not present? Not present. Thank you. Not. Yeah, I just hear present. But not present. Is that correct? Sorry. Um, no, she's not present. Okay. Thank you. That concludes our list of testifiers. Is there anyone else here who wishes to testify on this matter? Not members questions. I'm brokenhearted. Senator Kim, question. can I realize that it's a juggling act, right? So, in order to and I certainly understand the
005concerns uh and our smaller schools and the schools that have more difficulty, but in doing so, what what what is it going to take? I mean, you're going to have to take away from Right. I mean, the form is going to change. So, somebody's going to get less, right? the pie is only a one from Peter to Peter. Correct. Correct. You are you are correct. And so that's a discussion that the cow is going to have to have as to how to best um cut the pie up so that it is um addressing these other issues. But you're right, someone it will it will take away from other uh other weights as well. One thing we are grateful for is I think in the Senate version of the budget that just passed, there is more
006money going into the weighted student formula. So that would increase the size of the pie. So even though by reallocating it may take some resources away because the pie is bigger we hope we can give enough resources to to all who need well even then I mean this year we have money so there'll be years where we don't have as much money so the pie gets bigger but some it comes from some place right and when those when that um flow of monies go away then and to to sustain whatever we decide then it's got to come from someplace else. Yeah. And and I and I heard the testimony that, you know, we have to look at um the needs of of different groups of students, right, to to hopefully do the weight of student
007formula. But the more more of these special groups, then again, the other pot gets gets smaller and then we hear from parents of the blood schools and say, well, you know, the class sizes are too big and so forth. Preaching to the choir. You're so Yeah. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. So, while I really appreciate these kinds of resolutions, it's it's not as easy to just look at one portion of it and say, "Let's, you know, put a weighted suit through the formula because it affects everybody down the line." Absolutely correct. Yeah. Thank you. Yep. And um yes, this wasn't originally going to be heard, but at the request of a representative who serves an area that has smaller remote schools, um this is for her. Um but Ken, you you mentioned that the committee on weights
008is meeting um later this year. Do you have a timeline? Yes. So they are looking um because there's teachers and uh principles also sit on that. We are shooting for the summer when school has let out. So after May, early June, there's going to be a few meetings there. Uh I think in total we have looking at five meetings at this point. Um two in June, two in July, and one in August to kind of really get a And are they open to the public? They are. So because it's mandated by statute, it is um uh run by sun uh has to follow sunshine law. So the agendas will have to be published in advance of the meetings and it is open to the public. And will it include Zoom meetings? Great question. So the
009last um the last Kawi did it did have Zoom meetings because of it was during the uh the pandemic. I my I I will go back and check. I think the idea is to to continue that practice. Okay. So could you make a request of that committee can do um to assure that everyone can participate that um you know they put out a notice that gives everyone time to care and also to allow uh by Zoom for those who cannot make it physically to the meeting. I would appreciate that. Um could you tell us also um Ken? Yeah. What are some of the things that are decided by the committee on weights? Yeah, so it's not just um small and remote schools. Uh there also is funding as um the previous testified mentioned for English
010learners um for and it's just the different weights that are looked at to see if they need to be recalibrated u based on what the school's needs are and how best to address um providing the right weights for students so that supports can be provided um as equitably as possible. So there's a number. The recurring themes though are small and remote schools is one that comes up almost every um cy that I've looked back on. It was discussed at the last call and I know it will be discussed um at this one as well. Um and another question would be is um [Music] in in the meeting when they're looking at deciding um on these weights How many members are on this committee and who are the members? How so what makes up the membership?
011Got it. It's um it's a pretty sizable membership. I wanted to say it's about 15 or so different members. Um I can get that list is on our previous committee on weights agendas, but they do uh usually it's two complex area superintendents who serve as the chairs. Um and then after that there are principles I want to say there's teachers as well um who also sit on that um and as well as community members. So I think uh in previous years we've had uh like Julie Morawa who was part of climb high who is a business collaborative um as well. So a number of different stakeholders um who are invited including including people from remote definitely. Yes. Can I go ahead? Um so in the resolution it has the word greater in be it resolved
012to be resolved that the board gives greater consideration to small and gives greater consideration. Um when you say greater I'm I'm trying to get a handle on that because then it means everybody also get less. So, so could we say give you more an equal equal or I'm not sure just that you know then the special needs and will say well we need greater we need greater and the bigger schools will say well you know we need greater so I guess I'm having difficulty with with that and perhaps maybe in the resolution that we say have a whereas where you know we want to balance the the needs of the English learners the um special needs and and the other other other groups that was um brought up by HSTA um and that you know
013how to and balancing it all taking into consideration because yeah you you have a class of you know six kids and then you have a bigger schools where they have a class of 30. It's like, you know, one teacher, but then how do you balance that, right? No, we would be open to that. That that makes sense as far as um uh pointing out that balance that is necessary. Yep. Sure, Senator Richards. Thank you. Um I'm listening very carefully to the comments. Um near and dear to my heart are the rural schools because Big Island, right? Yeah. And I appreciate the difficulty in trying to strike that balance in larger schools, economy of scales. I think we've actually had this conversation before and so um I have to say so your committee on weight so
014cow I kind of like that. That actually works good for me. That's right. Um but I can appreciate the fact that trying to find the balance in there is difficult but I'm very interested in these conversations coming forth and um you know appreciate what chair has said um about participating in that um trying to find that sweet spot where we're talking about agreement of equal opportunity which how do you scale that in a city versus a real rural Yeah. And so that's what we're we're talking about and and finding that sweet spot. So um and this highlights a conversation, but this may not be the way to get it done because it sounds like things are going forward. I am definitely supportive of the concept. Um but how we go about it may be and
015I'm I want to participate in this. So chair, I appreciate you asking about the um the uh Zoom potential But on the big island, I think I would show up anyway. So, um, I don't know how you weight that correctly. Um, I don't know how you weight that appropriately, but the conversation does need to be had. So, um, thank you. I appreciate the comments. Thank you, chair. Thank you. And I think um my last comment would be that um even though we you know we have small and remote schools and I think there will be some um further uh discussion on the content the language in this resolution but with the use of Zoom can we not um find a way to gather the small and remote schools to say this school is going to
016have this teacher to teach this this teacher to teach that. Could you guys share? So if someone wants to have this instead of this at their school that they could zoom into this class. I mean the high schools have done a great job with uh allowing some of their students to take um you know university type courses. So, what I'm asking is the small and remote schools figure out a way to do that also um by through the the means of Zooms because I I totally get small and remote schools. I mean, they even have a hard time getting to school because of bus issues, but um I think if we were able to figure out a way how we provide that means to them that that might also serve them well. Also, great comments.
017Thank you, members. further questions, comments, comment. We're going to have teachers participating in this conversation as well. Correct. Yes. So I can I was just looking up. So at our last call, we did have um registar principles uh teachers uh as well as from both middle, intermediate and elementary as well. So yes, teachers in the past have been and will be again participating. And I don't know if it's um possible, but maybe even student leadership get a student council president or representative give a a consumer's perspective for lack of a better way to characterize it. Thank you, chair. And also so for uh HSTA if we could bring this to your membership to um you know let them know that should we be able to do um this type of Zoom meetings for different classes
018that that they're aware of it and it's up to them if they want to um participate. But we strongly you know this is for the students. So I'm hoping that they will um want to do this also because I know for some of the the teachers they don't like zooming. I mean, we had a lot of teachers retired during the pandemic because they thought they would have to do uh teaching by Zoom. Um, and I guess this is the time to determine if teachers are going to want to participate and they need more skills at Zoom meetings that HST find a way to help them do this. Thank you. You know, being able to get online and have the hardware in order to do it. asked the the key part. Well, I believe all schools
019have the hardware. I think it's the teachers hesitancy because uh they they wouldn't know how to bring back a meeting should they get shut down. And this is where um they should use their students because when I have issues at home, my it's my 11-year-old grandson that comes to my aid and they know more than we do. So, um, yeah, I'm just saying that this is maybe a a class they could start with with without the weighted student formula issue that just to help the teachers. Um, I think this would this would actually give the kids a a kick and the teachers. So, yeah. Yeah. Can I ask um can you restate the the the different areas you said that you fought for for the readiness? Our first count, our first count had a hundred
020100 participants. No, no, I don't. I just want to know the different because we got to go into class. The different areas you said that you you fought. There was special ed. Okay. Special ed, English language learners and economically disadvantaged. Those are the three. Okay. And she wish she had done smaller. Me too. If I had known the issue, I would have fought for that. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Members, further questions? Uh, if not, the chair is going to recommend that we pass this resolution out. However, we will um do some changes to the wording of the resol resolution and instead of the word greater um equal that's one. Did you have another? Yeah, I was thinking if you could do uh whereas you know that the student weighted formula take into consideration as
021well um the English learners, the special ed canonical disadvantage and then a possibly another be it resolve to that we did through the form of the committee look at creative ways in which to have remote schools work together to find ways that they can share resources like that. Okay. So comments regarding that members. Okay. If not uh recommendation is to pass this reszo with amendments. Chair vai chair votes eye on HCR 1160 with amendments. Vice chair vai. Senator Kuki I is in back there. Senator Richards I sllo five eyes. Resolations adopted. Thank you. Meetings adjourned.