STAND. COM. REP. NO. 121

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1131

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1131 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Office of Technology Services of the Department of Education for the continued implementation of student information systems, student support systems, additional requirements, and infrastructure enhancements.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education (DOE) and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.  Comments on the measure were submitted by one individual.

     Your Committee finds that the DOE needs to streamline its processes and increase productivity, assist principals in managing their schools' academic financial plans, and provide data to support students and increase accountability and transparency.  Your Committee further finds that additional funding is necessary to ensure that these objectives are accomplished and a comprehensive information technology system is established.  The DOE has further requested funding to establish regional support centers to deliver support services and provide data to establish a fee for service structure on the islands of Maui and Hawaii.  Additionally, the DOE seeks funding for a facilities management system to enable the department to link the facilities' inventory with a condition assessment of those facilities' major components and track and prioritize major and minor repairs to those facilities.  Your Committee determines that these additional requests for funding are necessary and proper for the provision of information technology services for public schools in the State.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Including an appropriation to establish regional support centers to provide technology support services to schools on the islands of Hawaii and Maui; provided that the pilot program established in section 2 of the measure shall also evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery of support services and provide data to establish a fee for service structure;

     (2)  Including an appropriation for a facilities asset management system to enable the DOE to link the facilities' inventory with a condition assessment of those facilities' major components and to track and prioritize major and minor repairs to those facilities; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity and style.

     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 S.B. No. 1131, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1131, 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,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair