STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3093
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 2743
H.D. 2
S.D. 1
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2006
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2743, H.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to establish a facilities alignment commission that shall revitalize school facilities by identifying underutilized schools to consolidate for resource maximization.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor, the Department of Budget and Finance, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii. Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Comments in opposition to this measure were received from the Board of Education, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and one individual.
Your Committee finds that Chapter 38 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules currently sets forth procedures and guidelines regarding the consolidation of public schools. Your Committee called on the Department of Education to submit to the Legislature a report describing how these rules have been used in the recent past and how effective any such closures or consolidation of resources has proved for the communities involved.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Requiring that a majority of the commission be comprised of persons with professional experience in education;
(2) Requiring at least one member of the commission to be a representative from the Department of Education;
(3) Making an exception to the provision that members of the commission not be employees of the State for any members appointed who are current or former department of education teachers or administrators;
(4) Mandating that a school's academic and extracurricular successes as well as the reasons therefor, and the best interests of students, be a significant part of the school alignment selection criteria;
(5) Making the effective date defective to facilitate further discussion of this measure; and
(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2743, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2743, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education and Military Affairs,
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____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair |
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