STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3424

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 185
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred
S.C.R. No. 185 entitled: 

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF
     HAWAII TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT AND COMPARATIVE
     PATTERNS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCING FOR K-12 EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the
University of Hawaii to conduct an analysis of current and
comparative patterns of public school financing for K-12
education.

     Your Committee finds that despite ranking third in the
nation in state general revenue per capita, Hawaii was 37th
(among the states and the District of Columbia), in average daily
enrollment expenditures.  Additionally, Hawaii was dead last in
the nation, with respect to the proportion of general
expenditures dedicated to education at 14.3 per cent.

     Your Committee also finds that Hawaii's public schools:

     (1)  Are among the largest in the nation, ranking fourth in
          average size for elementary schools and second in
          average size for secondary schools;


 
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     (2)  Have suffered chronic facilities under-investment
          resulting in a backlog of $240,000,000 in repair and
          maintenance demands and $1,500,000,000 in backlogged
          capital improvement projects; and

     (3)  During the six year period 1994-2000, have seen a
          thirty-nine per cent decrease in position funding and
          forty-one per cent by fiscal allocation.

     These conditions have severely reduced the system's capacity
to engage in sustained self-renewal and reform, and have
diminished the system's capacity to support schools
instructionally and administratively.  Therefore, a comprehensive
analysis of Hawaii's ability to fund K-12 education is necessary
in order to establish sound fiscal policy and continued growth of
our education system.

     The concurrent resolution also requests an analysis of peer
states and districts, and recommendations with respect to levels
of funding necessary to meet the system's needs.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 185
and recommends its adoption.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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