STAND. COM. REP. NO.1134

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 292

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 292, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SCHOOL PRIORITY FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to public schools to purchase educational supplies, equipment, and books.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Your Committee finds that our public schools continue to struggle when trying to provide sufficient educational supplies, such as textbooks and instructional equipment, within limited discretionary resources. Your Committee further finds that this problem is exacerbated because the schools receive allocations for specific instructional programs, which impedes their ability to leverage their limited resources. Your Committee agrees that schools need more discretionary resources to address the particular needs of their individual schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying in Section 1 of the measure that the appropriation is to be used for the purchase of supplies, textbooks, and equipment under the school priority program established pursuant to section 302A-1306; and

(2) Clarifying in Section 1 and Section 2 of the measure that funds may be provided to schools and school complexes.

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 H.B. No. 292, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 292, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair