STAND. COM. REP. NO. 259

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 887
                                     




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.
887 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR HAWAIIAN
     LANGUAGE EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for the
Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaii.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
State Representative from the Seventh District and various other
individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the culture of a people is
preserved in its language.  When a language is forgotten, a
culture is lost.  This bill seeks to help preserve the Hawaiian
culture through its language.

     The Hawaiian Immersion Program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaii,
began in 1987 on a small scale as a pilot project.  Since then it
has endured many hardships and overcome many barriers, including
a lack of resources.  Today, through the collaborative efforts of
teachers, parents, and community members, instruction in the
Hawaiian language is being offered in fourteen sites encompassing
grades kindergarten through eleven and enrolling 1,350 students
throughout the State.


 
 
 
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                                 Page 2

 
     The success of the program is indisputable.  Yet much more
could be done if additional resources were available.  This bill
seeks to provide those resources.

     During the discussion of the bill, the issue was raised
about whether Hawaiian immersion schools should be considered
schools of choice or schools that students have a right to
attend.  In this regard, it should be noted that the Hawaiian
language is one of the two official languages of the State of
Hawaii, the other being English.  As schools of choice, the State
is not obligated to provide transportation for students.
However, as schools of right, the State would be required to
provide transportation for students who live at a distance from
the nearest Hawaiian immersion school.  Your Committee urges the
Board of Education to consider this issue at its earliest
convenience.

     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.
887 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to
the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair