STAND. COM. REP. NO. 51

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1784

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1784 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII NATIVE HAWAIIAN PROGRAMS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to support the revitalization of the Hawaiian language by:

     (1)  Creating a link between the public schools, the local communities, and university teacher education programs by amending section 304A-1203, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

     (2)  Appropriating funds to establish and resource Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi (proposed Center for Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Education).

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education; the University of Hawaii; Principal, Nanaikapono Elementary School; the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation; Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, National Institute of Research Excellence in Maori Development and Advancement at the University of Auckland; Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi; the National Indian Education Association; the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and one hundred sixty-three private individuals.

     With the exception of its use within the Ni‘ihau community, the Hawaiian language is still on the brink of extinction.  Furthermore, Native Hawaiian students perform poorly in regular public schools because they lack role models and there is an absence of curriculum and teaching styles that speak to the Hawaiian way of life and learning.  The Hawaiian Language Immersion Program is the primary vehicle through which the Hawaiian language can be perpetuated as a living language with the creation of future generations of Hawaiian-speaking children.

     Your Committees find that there is a critical need for teachers, curriculum developers, researchers, and teacher educators in the Hawaiian community.  Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi addresses this need by preparing teachers for Department of Education Hawaiian Language Immersion Programs, Title I schools with a large number of Native Hawaiian children, or Hawaiian-focused charter schools, and trains educational leaders in curriculum research, school administration, and continuing education of teachers by supporting study at the masters and doctoral levels.  Appropriating funds to establish resources for Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi within the University of Hawaii will allow the program to train and prepare more qualified teachers and provide more permanent faculty positions.

     Your Committees further find that Ho‘okulaiwi is a form of educational renewal that addresses the needs of each individual school by including members of the community and school in decision-making for teaching methods, recruiting, and curriculum development.  Involving the community within the decision-making process provides another valuable perspective and allows the incorporation of Native Hawaiian cultural traditions and practices within the school curriculum.

     The intent of this measure is to provide support in the preservation and perpetuation of the Hawaiian language.  By training teachers, Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi assists in the preservation and continuation of the Hawaiian language for future generations.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adopting the suggestion made by the Department of Education to delete any references to local community boards for consistency and clarity; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1784, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1784, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Education,

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

____________________________ RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair