STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2140

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2679

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Education and Economic Development and Taxation, to which was referred S.B. No. 2679 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for information technology projects of the Department of Education.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Specifically, this measure provides funding for:

     (1)  Regional support centers;

     (2)  Online learning within the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Support;

     (3)  Computers for classroom teachers;

     (4)  Centralized service desk software;

     (5)  Contracted personal computer or Macintosh "platform" support;

     (6)  Pilot implementation and evaluation of Thin-clients;

     (7)  Enhanced collaboration software and training course authoring tools; and

     (8)  Increasing the rate of upgrading school telecommunications infrastructure.

     Your Committees find that, in all aspects, society today is and continues to become increasingly dependent upon technology.  As technology continues to play a greater role in the workplace, the introduction and utilization of technology must begin in our public schools and within the Department of Education.  This measure appropriates funds to support and enhance technology resources within the Department of Education.  Your Committees believe that these appropriations provide necessary technology infrastructure improvements to equip the Department to provide updated instructional, support, and educational services for our public schools.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Economic Development and Taxation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2679 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Economic Development and Taxation,

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair