STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1792

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 1501
                                     S.D. 3
                                     H.D. 3




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No.
1501, S.D. 3, H.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is improve the education of
children by:

     (1)  Authorizing the availability of early childhood
          screenings for children;

     (2)  Requiring the establishment of at least one school-
          based health center in each of the seven departmental
          public school districts;

     (3)  Establishing a framework for charter schools and
          procedures by which any community, any program within
          an existing public school, or any existing public
          school may propose a charter school.

     The South Maui Learning Ohana, the Five Mountain Medical
Community, the Hawaii Business Roundtable, the Center for
Disabilities Studies, and 11 individuals testified in support of
the bill.  The Department of Education, the Department of Human
Resources Development, and the Hawaii Government Employees
Association testified in support of the intent of the bill.  The
Department of Health and the Estate of James Campbell submitted
comments.

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1792
                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee has amended the bill by:

     (1)  Requiring communities to submit to the Board of
          Education, rather than the Superintendent, the letter
          of intent for the establishment of a new century
          charter school;

     (2)  Requiring the Board of Education rather than the
          Superintendent to provide support to communities in
          formulating implementation plans;

     (3)  Deleting references to sections in Hawaii Revised
          Statutes that were repealed;

     (4)  Reducing annual allocations to the State Educational
          Improvement Special Fund from $90,000,000 to
          $45,000,000; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive revisions for style
          and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
1501, S.D. 3, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1501,
S.D. 3, H.D. 3.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair