STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1372

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.C.R. No. 92

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 92 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH MANDARIN CHINESE LANGUAGE CURRICULUM IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to help increase access to world languages for Hawaii's students and encourage the development of Pacific-Asia relations by requesting the Department of Education to establish a Mandarin Chinese language curriculum in public high schools to be available for the 2015-2016 academic school year.

Associated Chinese University Women and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Education opposed this measure.  The United States Director of the University of Hawaii Confucius Institute and three concerned individuals provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending its title to read:  "REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO EXPAND THE MANDARIN CHINESE LANGUAGE CURRICULUM IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS";

     (2)  Requesting the Department to expand, rather than establish, the Mandarin Chinese Language curriculum in public high schools;

     (3)  Urging the Department to cooperate with the University of Hawaii and the University's Confucius Institute to expand the Mandarin Chinese language curriculum; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for consistency and accuracy.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 92, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 92, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair