STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2783

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3071

       S.D. 2

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3071, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi, the program for Native Hawaiian and indigenous education, within the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

     Written comments in support of this measure were submitted by the University of Hawaii System, Sovereign Councils of Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, and three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that there is a shortage of high quality teachers in public schools, especially Native Hawaiian teachers.  Your Committee further finds that there is a need for increased opportunities for Native Hawaiian language and culture in the public school curricula.  The Ho‘okulaiwi:  ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi initiative is a program that is dedicated to increasing the numbers of fully licensed teachers, particularly Native Hawaiian teachers.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will enable community-based teacher preparations and curriculum development initiatives to prepare qualified teachers and help to establish more permanent faculty positions on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount for fiscal year 2012-2013 for the purpose of facilitating further discussion of the measure;

     (2)  Clarifying that Ho‘okulaiwi is not a "center", but a "program" within the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; and

     (3)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3071, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3071, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair