STAND. COM. REP. NO.  885-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   S.B. No. 2068

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2068, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the junior kindergarten program of the Department of Education (DOE) and allow children who are at least five years of age on or before August 1 of the school year to attend kindergarten, beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.

     DOE and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Early Learning Council (ELC), Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and a concerned individual opposed this measure.  The Hawaii Educational Policy Center and Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by replacing the contents of the bill with provisions that require DOE and ELC to work together on the development and submission of a plan to the Legislature for the integration of the cohort of children who would otherwise attend junior kindergarten into the early learning system.

     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. 2068, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2068, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY TAKUMI, Chair