STAND. COM. REP. NO.153
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2001
RE: H.B. No. 224
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2001
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 224 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to propose an amendment to the State Constitution to change the apportionment of the Board of Education (BOE). Under the new apportionment scheme:
(1) The BOE would consist of seventeen members, elected in a nonpartisan manner by respective school board districts;
(2) Each school board district would consist of either three or four representative districts; and
(3) The number of members would be increased or decreased appropriately if the number of representative districts changes.
BOE and the Hawaii Government Employees Association opposed this bill.
Your Committee finds that this bill presents a significantly improved apportionment scheme for the BOE. Currently, BOE members represent vast at-large districts, this proposed constitutional amendment would make each member responsible for a much more manageable district. The present scheme is unnecessarily complicated, and requires BOE candidates to campaign in areas to which they have little or no connection. The proposed changes would make the system comprehensible to all, and far less taxing on members who would no longer be required to represent a geographically remote constituency.
Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:
(1) Requiring that each school board district be comprised of exactly three representative districts;
(2) Deleting the provisions for increasing or decreasing BOE membership;
(3) Amending the question to be printed on the ballot to conform to the preceding amendments; and
(4) Deleting language stating that the amendment shall apply to the general election of 2002.
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. 224, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 224, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,
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____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair |
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