STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2355

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2142

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2142 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMPUTER SCIENCE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Allow Department of Education students to fulfill world language, fine arts, or career and technical education graduation requirements with computer science;

(2) Establish a scholarship at the University of Hawaii to encourage students majoring in education to take a computer science course;

(3) Require University of Hawaii to establish computer science pathways for students majoring in education;

(4) Require teacher licensing and certification to include computer science; and

(5) Appropriate funds for the computer science in teaching scholarship program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; State Public Charter School Commission; University of Hawai‘i System; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Code.org; HawaiiKidsCAN; TechNet; Purple Mai‘a Foundation; Oceanit Laboratories, Inc.; and six individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Education, and one individual.

Your Committees find that the time has come to welcome computer science into the ranks of world language, fine arts, and career and technical education as a graduation requirement for Hawaii's public school students. Today, computer science knowledge and skills are a critical component of education and career success. Your Committees therefore find that this measure will promote education and career success by allowing computer science to satisfy certain graduation requirements and establishing scholarships, programs, and licensure requirements that encourage the development of computer science course offerings in public schools.

Your Committees note the testimony of the State Public Charter School Commission requesting that this measure apply in certain respects to public charter schools, in addition to Department of Education schools.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Amending this measure to also include students who want to teach at public charter schools to participate in the computer science in teaching scholarship program;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2142, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2142, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Higher Education,

________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair