STAND. COM. REP. NO. 789

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1533

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1533 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X, SECTION 2, OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to propose a constitutional amendment to change the composition of the Board of Education (Board).

Specifically, this measure proposes that there be seventeen voting board members and that each school board district be composed of three representative districts.

This measure also allows the Chief Election Officer to delineate the new board districts, which shall be used in elections until the 2010 reapportionment plan is adopted by the Legislature.

Your Committee finds that under the current structure, Board members represent two at-large school board districts. As a result, a school board district can encompass several islands with schools and communities on different islands being represented by a Board member who may not even live on the island or in the immediate community that the member represents. Your Committee believes that under the proposed structure, Board members would represent their communities geographically and be in a position to better know and represent their respective community's concerns and needs to the board. As such, the Board members would be more accountable to their constituents.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1533 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair