STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2095

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2510

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2510 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for one full-time equivalent (1.00 FTE) world languages institutional support position within the Department of Education.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Office of Language Access; He‘e Coalition; Hawai‘i Association of Language Teachers; Native Hawaiian Education Council; HawaiiKidsCAN; The Filipino Community Center, Inc.; Filipino American Citizens League; Hawai‘i TESOL; Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights; Filipina Advocacy Network; Tinalak Filipino Education Council; and numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that it is important to create a more culturally-responsive policy climate that embraces the opportunities of Hawaii's diverse ethnic and heterogeneous linguistic population. Recognizing the important role of multilingualism in providing a meaningful and equitable education for student achievement, the Board of Education approved policies that promote high proficiency in English or Hawaiian and an additional language. These policies, based on long-standing research showing the effectiveness of language education for student achievement, support the teaching and learning of languages to fuel economic growth and support international business, military and diplomatic relations, workforce development, and global competence. This measure will support the respective goals of the Board and Department.

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. 2510 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair