STAND. COM. REP. NO.  301-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1676

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1676 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand access to early childhood education in Hawaii by authorizing the Executive Office on Early Learning to enter into agreements with the Department of Education or any public charter school to use vacant or underutilized classrooms for public preschool classrooms.

The Executive Office on Early Learning, Department of Education, Department of Human Services, State Public Charter School Commission, Kualapu‘u Public Conversion Charter School, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii Community Foundation, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Democratic Party of Hawaii, The Pacific Resource Partnership, Kamehameha Schools, Hui for Excellence in Education, PHOCUSED, Ho‘okako‘o Corporation, Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, and numerous concerned individuals supported the measure.  The Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children supported the intent of the measure.  The Hawaii State Teachers Association supported the measure with amendments.  A concerned individual opposed the measure.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the Executive Office on Early Learning is also authorized to use classrooms currently being used for preschool, in addition to vacant or underutilized classrooms, for public preschool classrooms; and

     (2)  Allowing the Executive Office on Early Learning to enter into memorandums of agreement, in addition to contracts, with the Department of Education and public charter schools for use of their classrooms.

     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 H.B. No. 1676, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1676, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair