Establishes funding for the school custodial training program on Oahu to enhance the repair and maintenance skills of school custodians. Makes appropriation.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature recognizes the importance of having Hawaii schools in good repair in order to run safely and efficiently. The Maui Rural Development Project in conjunction with the Department of Education and United Public Workers has developed a custodial training program that has trained over 200 custodians statewide. The program helps custodians upgrade their skills to do more light repair and maintenance around the schools. The program helps the schools because it keeps small repairs from becoming large, expensive, and time consuming jobs.

Inaugurated on Kauai, the custodial training program saved the schools over $47,000 in the first three months after the first class of custodians graduated. The four week, half-day training program offers classes for fifteen individuals. An instructor has been recruited and training sites have been identified on Oahu. However, the federal workforce development funds that seeded the program have been spent.

The purpose of this Act is to enhance the repair and maintenance skills of school custodians and better serve the public schools by providing funds to continue on Oahu the neighbor islands' successful school custodial training program.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for the school custodial training program, including the hiring of necessary staff.

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect July 1, 2006.