STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2327

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2068

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

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

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a pilot program for mandatory junior kindergarten and kindergarten attendance in one public school complex on each island.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency.  Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by one private organization.  The Governor submitted testimony in opposition.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's children benefit from early learning opportunities such as junior kindergarten and kindergarten.  The pilot program proposed in this measure would evaluate the effects of early education on student performance.

     However, your Committee also finds that implementing the pilot program requires additional funding that is not available at this time.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the provisions establishing the pilot program;

     (2)  Requiring the Early Learning Council, with the assistance of the Department of Education, to assess the existing junior kindergarten and kindergarten program; and

     (3)  Requiring the Department of Education to report to the Legislature annually for five years the findings from the Early Learning Council's assessment to inform future decisions affecting early education in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2068, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2068, 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 and Housing,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair