STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3528

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2267

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2267, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to facilitate the use of digital curricular materials in public school classrooms.

 

     More specifically, this measure:

 

(1)  Authorizes expenditure of moneys allocated for purchase of printed curricular materials in digital formats of those materials;

 

(2)  Defines "curricular materials" to include both existing instructional materials in physical format and digital content;

 

(3)  Expands the authorized uses of the existing textbook and instructional materials fee special account by renaming it the curricular materials fee special account; and

 

(4)  Appropriates funds for digital devices for teachers and students to use in public school classrooms.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Computing Technology Industry Association, Technet, and three individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that digital curricular materials present opportunities for learning that cannot be matched by textbooks and that financial savings can be realized by schools using digital curricular materials.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Clarifying that the appropriation for the digital devices is intended only for the digital devices; and

 

(2)  Adding a separate appropriation for the professional development of educators.

 

     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 H.B. No. 2267, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2267, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair