STAND. COM. REP. NO. 676

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 149
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred H.B. No. 149 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X,
     SECTION 2, OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION, TO CHANGE THE BOARD
     OF EDUCATION FROM AN ELECTED BOARD TO AN APPOINTED BOARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to propose an amendment to the
State Constitution to change the Board of Education (BOE) from an
elected body to an appointed one.

     Testimony in support of this bill was received from the
Hawaii Business Roundtable, the United Public Workers, and the
Hawaii Government Employees Association.  Testimony in opposition
to this bill was received from the BOE, Common Cause Hawaii, and
the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

     Your Committee finds that education provides individuals the
means by which they can achieve their greatest potential.
Education also establishes the foundation for a community's
economic development and prosperity.

     Hawaii once developed an admirable public education system
that provided equal educational opportunities to students
throughout the islands.  However, times have changed rapidly, and
the public school system is now in need of improvement.


 
 
 
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                                 Page 2

 
     The primary reason for the lack of satisfactory progress in
education is the lack of clear accountability in public
education.  This bill clarifies accountability at the highest
level.

     Your Committee has made technical, nonsubstantive amendments
to the bill for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 149, as amended herein, and recommends that
it be referred to the Committee Finance in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 149, H.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary &
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   PAUL T. OSHIRO, Chair