STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2184

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2182

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2182 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL GARDENS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and fund the position of School Garden Coordinator, within the Department of Education's Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design, to provide technical support and startup resources for schools interested in starting a school garden program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Hawai‘i Farm to School Hui; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Hawaii Food Industry Association; Local Food Coalition; Americans for Democratic Action, Center for Getting Things Started; Hawai‘i Food+ Policy Internship; Ka Ohana O Na Pua; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; and ten individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that learning where food comes from is an important part of our children's education. School gardens and farms contribute to protecting student health, advancing academic achievement, and strengthening social and emotional well-being. The School Garden Coordinator position proposed by this measure is essential to successfully implement the purpose of the Hawaii farm to school program set forth in Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, which aims to improve student health, accelerate garden and farm-based education for public school students, and develop an educated agricultural workforce.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Clarifying the purview of the School Garden Coordinator position created by this measure to include schools interested in developing a school garden, so as to include existing school garden programs.

Your Committee notes that the estimated appropriation required for this measure is $200,000.

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. 2182, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2182, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair