STAND. COM. REP. NO. 300

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1487

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1487 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Authorize the Department of Education to close or consolidate existing schools;

     (2)  Require the Department of Education to establish criteria for threshold levels of student population for purposes of closure or consolidation of schools; and

     (3)  Require schools that are notified by the Department of Education the Department's intent to close or consolidate the schools to propose a plan to avoid closure or consolidation within two years of the notice.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that school closures and consolidations should be conducted in an objective way.  Your Committee further finds that schools that are slated for closure and consolidation should have the opportunity to present the Department of Education with a plan to raise student population, raise additional revenue, and make cost reductions through administrative complex consolidation.

     While your Committee acknowledges that this measure requires further discussion and revision, your Committee finds that this measure will encourage schools and communities to think outside the box and come up with innovative ways to meet their goals and remain in operation.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing language requiring that the Department of Education establish criteria for threshold levels of student population for purposes of closure or consolidation;

     (2)  Requiring that closure or consolidation of schools be determined pursuant to existing administrative rules;

     (3)  Requiring schools that are notified by the Department of Education for closure or consolidation to propose a plan to avoid closure or consolidation within one year of notice rather than two years;

     (4)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to allow for further discussion; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     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. 1487, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1487, 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,

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair