STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2254

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2500

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2500 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds to provide funding for the construction of a six-classroom building on the campus of Lana‘i High and Elementary School.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Hawaii State Teachers Association and one individual.  Comments on the measure were also submitted by the Department of Education.  

     Your Committee finds that, founded in 1930, Lana‘i High and Elementary School is the largest of the kindergarten through grade twelve schools in the State and the only school on the island of Lana‘i.  Your Committee further finds that the school supports the enrollment of five hundred and eighty students; however, the campus capacity was designed for closer to four hundred and fifty students.  The current facilities do not meet the current demand for the number of students, including the needs of the many high-achieving students, in the areas of the sciences and graphic arts, as well as general education.  This measure authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund the construction of a six-classroom building to house a physical sciences laboratory, biological sciences laboratory, middle school science laboratory, graphic arts and digital design laboratory, community-based instruction classroom, and general education classrooms at Lana‘i High and Elementary School.  Your Committee determines that this measure will expedite the construction of much needed new public school facilities on the Lana‘i campus.

     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. 2500 and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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