STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2312

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2446

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2446 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Education to name the new public high school in Kihei, Maui, in honor of the late United States Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii System; Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; YWCA of Oahu; Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights; ILWU Local 142; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO; and eighteen individuals, many of whom were students testifying through the Senate's Videoconference Pilot Project.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that the accomplishments of the late United States Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink left a lasting impression on the people of Hawaii.  Among her many accomplishments, Representative Mink is perhaps most recognized for spearheading legislation that would become known as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bared discrimination based on sex in educational programs receiving federal funds.  Title IX created numerous professional and athletic opportunities that were previously denied to women.  This measure will provide an appropriate memorial to recognize and honor Representative Mink's legacy.

     As this measure moves forward, it should be noted that a Kihei High School already exists on Maui.  In 2001, the South Maui Learning Ohana founded Kihei Public Charter School and began accepting high school students.  Currently, the school has two campuses, one serving children in kindergarten through eighth grade, and the other serving children in grades nine through twelve.  This school is commonly referred to as Kihei High School and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid recognizes Kihei Public Charter School as Kihei High School.

     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. 2446 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair