STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2366

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2664

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2664 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Board of Education to hold no less than six community forums annually, with at least one forum in each county, and that under certain conditions the forums will be permitted interactional under section 92‑2.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2) Require the Board to include an open forum for public comments on non-agenda items at the end of each public meeting through June 30, 2025; and

(3) Require a report to the Legislature on implementing open forums.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Education and Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.

Your Committee finds that the Board of Education typically holds meetings during the daytime in downtown Honolulu and often focuses on matters prioritized by the Department of Education. While the Board invites members of the public to provide comments and concerns in writing at any time, your Committee finds that hosting additional Board of Education meetings on neighbor islands could increase the engagement of stakeholders on the neighbor islands.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion on this matter.

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. 2664, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2664, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair