STAND. COM. REP. NO. 429
                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1088
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No.
1088 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to permit the Board of Education
(BOE) to determine the starting age for children entering
kindergarten and the first grade.

     BOE testified in strong support of the bill.  Comments on
the proposed bill were received from the Good Beginnings
Alliance.

     Your Committee finds that educational research has shown
that children who start school at an earlier age than their peers
may be at a significant disadvantage depending on their school
entry date.  In addition, a 1998 survey conducted by the
Department of Education revealed that a large majority of
kindergarten teachers and their principals support a change in
the cutoff date for kindergarten entry, citing the lack of
maturity or readiness for school of late-born children as the
rationale.

     Your Committee also finds that if the BOE is given the
ability to move the cutoff date forward for kindergarten and
first grade students, the potential benefit to late-born children
outweighs the cost to their parents as studies show that delayed
kindergarten entry can be significant benefit to late-born
children throughout their entire educational careers.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 429
                                 Page 2

 

     Your Committee has amended the bill by:

     (1)  Providing that the BOE shall plan and develop rules for
          the starting age of children entering kindergarten and
          the first grade;

     (2)  Providing that the BOE shall develop the new rules by
          June 30, 2000, and may implement them beginning in the
          2000-2001 school year;

     (3)  Providing that the BOE shall submit a report to the
          legislature and the governor no later than 20 days
          prior to the convening of the regular session of 2001;
          and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for
          purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
1088, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1088, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair