STAND. COM. REP. NO. 122

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1932

       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. 1932 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide adequate facilities for our public school students.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Appropriates funds for the Department of Education's repair and maintenance projects;

     (2)  Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds and general revenues for the University of Hawaii's repair and maintenance projects; and

     (3)  Provides public land and facilities for early childhood education programs.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education (DOE), the University of Hawaii (UH), and Kamehameha Schools.

     Your Committee finds that a significant backlog of repair and maintenance projects exists in our public schools, including the University of Hawaii system.  The DOE estimates a current backlog of $341,000,000, and the UH system estimates a current backlog of $165,000,000.  Your Committee further finds that in 2001, the Legislature appropriated funds to the DOE to reduce the existing repair and maintenance backlog, which at the time was estimated at $640,000,000.  Your Committee believes that additional funding is necessary to help to alleviate the current backlog of repair and maintenance projects within the DOE and the UH system to attempt to lower them to manageable levels.  However, your Committee believes that the bifurcation of funding from general revenues and general obligation bonds is necessary to provide a clear picture of how these figures can be successfully reduced over time.

     Additionally, your Committee finds that there is a need for early childhood education facilities within the State.  Increased efforts should be made to utilize existing public school facilities and public school lands for early childhood education programs.  This measure also requires priority to be given to land or facilities on sites with sufficient space for three or more classrooms to be renovated or constructed.  However, no funds are appropriated for those purposes.  Therefore, your Committee has included appropriate funding for land or facilities for early childhood education programs as provided in the measure.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that funding in each year of the 2007-2009 fiscal biennium to decrease the DOE repair and maintenance backlog shall be as follows:

          (A)  $95,000,000 in general obligation bonds; and

          (B)  $35,000,000 in general revenues;

     (2)  Specifying that funding in each year of the 2007-2009 fiscal biennium to decrease the UH system repair and maintenance backlog shall be as follows:

          (A)  $50,000,000 in general obligation bonds; and

          (B)  $18,000,000 in general revenues;

     (3)  Including a general fund appropriation of $5,000,000 for each year of the 2007-2009 fiscal biennium for land or facilities for early childhood education programs; and

     (4)  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. 1932, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1932, 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