SB 1120

To: Senate Economic Development and Technology, Education Committee Members
From: Malcolm Kirkpatrick
In re: SB 1120
2011-02-04

Please DO NOT support SB 1120 as written. This bill would appropriate an undetermined amount of money for uncertain and ill-defined benefit. This bill subsidizes a demonstrably failed enterprise in pursuit of its stated goal.

As governor Abercrombie observed in his State of the State address, the government of Hawaii faces a serious budget deficit. This is not the time for expensive new projects. Further, the Hawaii State government's attempts at economic planning have failed repeatedly. You take resources from profitable enterprises and subsidize loss-making enterprises and wasteful bureaucracy.

The Hawaii DOE operates one of the worst school systems in the US. Its employees misrepresent DOE performance and the DOE budget. We have seen schools called "Blue Ribbon schools one year and "failing" by NCLB measures the next. We have heard administrators complain of budget cuts when the DOE budget was growing, in absolute and per pupil terms. They are not to be trusted with one more dime of taxpayer money. Your Auditor repeatedly finds misallocation of funds and deceptive accounting within the DOE.

This bill provides:...

SECTION 6. 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 2011-2012 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the development of professional development
programs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines for practicing teachers. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this part.

If the purpose of this bill is NOT a subsidy to the make-work program we call "public education", why are funds restricted to the government-operated university system?

This bill provides:...

SECTION 7. 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 2011-2012 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the transition to teaching program to provide stipends to attract science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates to the University of Hawaii post baccalaureate certificate in secondary education program.

1. If this bill is NOT a subsidy to the make-work program we call "public education", why are funds restricted to the government-operated university system?
2. No evidence supports policies which require that teachers have College of Education credits on their transcript. Abundant evidence supports policies which give to Principals the power to determine for themselves the credential requirements of their staff.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.