STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3379

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 194

S.D. 1

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.C.R. No. 194 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ENSURE THAT ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS, INCLUDING PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS, HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND FOOD SERVICE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Education to ensure that all public school students, including public charter school students, have equal access to appropriate educational facilities and food service.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Native Hawaiian Education Council, Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Kanu o ka Aina Learning Ohana, and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that there are thirty-seven charter schools serving approximately twelve thousand students, all of whom should have equal access to appropriate public school food services, but this is currently not the case. Some charter schools, especially those in rural areas of Hawaii, are denied access to national school lunch program subsidies because there are no United States Department of Agriculture certified kitchens available, other than those in Department of Education public schools. Because the Department of Education denies access to public school food services for charter school students, the State is losing federal school lunch subsidies for qualifying students. Additionally, the lack of appropriate free and reduced food service severely burdens and adversely impacts charter school families. Providing equal access to food services for charter school students ensures that all public school students are provided quality education and school meals.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that urges the Department of Education to ensure equal access to educational facilities, including removing the reference to educational facilities in the title;

(2) Deleting language that urges the Department of Education to provide equitable facility support to charter schools; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 194, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 194, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair