RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is authorized under Title X, Part I, of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, to provide expanded learning opportunities for participating children in a safe, drug-free, and supervised environment; and

WHEREAS, approximately six thousand six hundred rural and inner-city public schools throughout the country have received grants through this program and are now participating as 21st Century Community Living Centers; and

WHEREAS, six of those grant recipients are in Hawaii: three on Oahu, in the Leeward, Kalihi, and Windward areas; two on Hawaii, in the Waikoloa and Naalehu areas; one on Maui; and one on Molokai; and

WHEREAS, participants in these programs have shown significant improvements in math, language arts, social studies, and homework completion; and

WHEREAS, more schools in Hawaii should take advantage of this excellent program; and

WHEREAS, the program will have a record appropriation of $846,000,000 to distribute this May, and anticipates awarding nearly four hundred new grants this year, with a deadline for grant applications of March 30, 2001; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education is urged to publicize this program to all public schools in the State to continue the State of Hawai'i's participation in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education and the Chairperson of the Board of Education for immediate distribution to the principals of each public school.