STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3216

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 115

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 115 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO EXPAND WORLD LANGUAGE LEARNING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BASED ON FUTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF THE STATE AND NATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Board of Education and Department of Education to:

     (1)  Expand the selection of world languages offered to students in Hawaii's public schools;

     (2)  Consider future workforce needs when deciding which languages to offer; and

     (3)  Examine the student body population of high schools as a basis for selecting additional world languages to be taught in public schools.

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

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's population is extremely linguistically and culturally diverse.  Many students in the State's public schools speak a native language other than English at home.  Students in Hawaii with roots abroad are an integral part of the future workforce of the State in a wide variety of industries, including tourism, the military, and technology.  Your Committee further finds that these students would benefit from having their native languages taught in public schools.

     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 S.C.R. No. 115 and recommends that it be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary and Labor.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair