STAND. COM. REP. 2996

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2667

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Labor and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2667, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE MEDIUM EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a Hawaiian language medium education program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of the measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Education, and an individual who is both chair of academic programs of Ka Haka Ula O Keelikolani College of Hawaiian language at University of Hawaii at Hilo and a board member of Aha Punana Leo. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to the measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Your Committees find that the language and culture of the host culture of the State of Hawaii should be respected and cultivated at every opportunity. Your Committees further find that the unique constitutional status of the Hawaiian language as one of the two official languages of the State of Hawaii is another powerfully compelling reason to support Hawaiian language medium education. Establishing a formal state program in this area will allow for formalized partnerships and collaboration, which will foster a more seamless form of education as students progress from preschool through college in the Hawaiian language.

Your Committees have amended the measure by:

(1) Replacing a sentence reading "Institutions of higher education that have teacher preparation programs may work collaboratively with the department to ensure that teachers in the Hawaiian language medium education program are proficient in the Hawaiian language, skilled in teaching methodologies and strategies, and possess content knowledge" with a sentence reading "Publicly funded institutions of higher education may create teacher preparation programs to ensure that pre-service training is provided to students interested in teaching elementary and secondary students in the Hawaiian language";

(2) Allowing the Department of Education to establish the program, instead of requiring them to do so;

(3) Replacing a sentence reading "Teachers, staff, and administrators in Hawaiian language medium education whose responsibilities require additional language skills or are greater, specialized, or unique may be provided additional benefits greater than the benefits provided by their respective collective bargaining agreements" with a sentence reading "Teachers in Hawaiian language medium education whose responsibilities are greater or unique and require additional language skills may be provided additional benefits by the department";

(4) Deleting charter schools and laboratory schools from the provision regarding additional benefits for program teachers;

(5) Deleting special skills and special training as a qualification for additional benefits for program teachers;

(6) Deleting references to collective bargaining rights for program teachers and the encouragement of the use of community resources in the program; and

(7) Deleting a provision allowing for Hawaiian language medium charter schools and Hawaiian language medium laboratory schools to be included within the program for the purposes of securing geographic exemptions.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Labor and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2667, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2667, 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 Committees on Education and Labor and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair

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NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

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COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair