RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, public education is the cornerstone of the future strength and viability of our local communities and the state and nation as a whole; and

WHEREAS, public education is a potential lifeline for the continued evolution and realization of the principles of democracy upon which this nation was founded; and

WHEREAS, the right to a free and public education is not guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, currently the responsibility for creating, funding, and maintaining effective and high-quality public education systems falls on the shoulders of states, state legislatures, local school boards, and disparate populations of taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, the quality and funding of public education varies greatly among the states, counties, and local school districts; and

WHEREAS, many states, including Hawaii, do not always have the resources to create the type of high-quality education system that our children, adolescents, and young adults need to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to lead successful careers and satisfying lives as productive members of society; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of all citizens of the United States to a public education of equal high quality, as presented in House Joint Resolution 29, which was introduced by United States Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., from the Second Congressional District of Illinois, stating:

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, President of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, members of Hawaii's Congressional delegation, and the Governor.

Report Title:

CITIZENSHIP RIGHT TO A PUBLIC EDUCATION OF EQUAL HIGH QUALITY