Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1391, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure are to amend the duties of the state foundation on culture and the arts to include implementation of the recently completed six-year Hawaii Arts Education Strategic Plan: ARTS FIRST, and to appropriate funds for twenty-eight fine arts positions within the Department of Education to assist in the implementation of the plan.

Your Committee heard testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaii Alliance for Arts Education, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and one private individual.

Your Committee finds that Act 80, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999, mandated the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to collaborate with local arts and educational organizations to create a strategic six-year arts education plan for Hawaii's public schools. The Hawaii Arts Education Partners, as this coalition is called, has recently completed work on the plan. This measure is critical to its implementation and would serve as a model for the integration of the arts into a sequential, standards-based curriculum.

Your Committee further finds that the fine arts should not be regarded as an expendable supplement to, but deserve to be an integral part of every student's education. The intellectual dimension of the fine arts helps students develop the cognitive skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The creative demands of the fine arts improve students’ communication skills, imagination, and resourcefulness. Indeed, the fine arts help students develop the broad range of vocational, professional, and personal skills needed to lead full and productive lives as contributing members of society.

Your Committee has amended the measure by lowering the number of positions from twenty-eight to eight, and by changing the position titles from "district arts resource specialists" to "state arts resource teachers."

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. 1391, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1391, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.