STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1031

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 18

       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.C.R. No. 18 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO WORK WITH APPROPRIATE ENTITIES TO EXTEND THE LENGTH OF THE SCHOOL DAY TO ACCOMMODATE INCREASED PHYSICAL EDUCATION, ART, AND MUSIC REQUIREMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Education to work with appropriate entities to extend the length of the school day for elementary and middle schools to accommodate increased physical education, art, and music requirements.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

     Your Committee finds that children across the nation are demonstrating staggering rates of obesity, including Hawaii, where adolescent obesity rates have doubled over the past two decades.  Your Committee further finds that a child's life is not only enhanced, but may also be prolonged and improved with the presence of routine physical exercise, as well as the exposure to the arts and music.  This measure seeks to encourage the Department of Education to consider the merits of extending the school day for elementary and middle schools to accommodate time for physical education, arts, and music instruction.  Your Committee believes that additional projects, competitions, and activities will also positively impact a student's overall health, success, and well-being and should be a part of the discussion in determining the propriety of extending the school day.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by expanding the scope of the types of requirements, activities, and programs that the Department of Education should consider in determining whether and the method by which to extend the school day for elementary and middle schools.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 18, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 18, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair