REPORT TITLE:
School Repairs and Maintenance


DESCRIPTION:
Increases the school-level minor repair and maintenance accounts
from $8,000 to $20,000 per school; allows principals to hire the
department of accounting and general services to perform these
services; allows these school-level accounts to be used for minor
improvements. (SD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        119
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO SCHOOL REPAIRS, MAINTENANCE, AND IMPROVEMENTS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature recognizes that any recurring or
 
 2 outstanding problems affecting the health, safety, and well-being
 
 3 of Hawaii's public school students are detrimental to academic
 
 4 achievement and student learning.  In an ongoing effort to
 
 5 address the repair and maintenance needs of the public schools,
 
 6 the Sixteenth Legislature enacted Act 296, Session Laws of Hawaii
 
 7 1992.  Act 296 required the department of education to establish
 
 8 school-level minor repairs and maintenance accounts and
 
 9 distributed $8,000 to each of the two hundred thirty-six public
 
10 schools for this purpose.
 
11      Through Act 296, school principals are empowered with more
 
12 discretion and flexibility in responding to and resolving their
 
13 school's repair and maintenance needs.  Greater school
 
14 empowerment has resulted in principals responding to their
 
15 school's repair and maintenance needs in a more efficient and
 
16 timely manner.  The legislature also recognizes that further
 
17 efforts to support the upkeep of school facilities and grounds
 
18 will contribute to a positive and conducive learning environment
 
19 for Hawaii's students.
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      The purpose of this Act is to increase the school-level
 
 2 minor repair and maintenance accounts from $8,000 to $20,000 per
 
 3 school; to allow principals to hire the department of accounting
 
 4 and general services to perform these services; to allow these
 
 5 school-level accounts to be used for minor improvements; and to
 
 6 appropriate funds for fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 to
 
 7 fund these school-level accounts.
 
 8      SECTION 2.   Section 302A-1504, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 9 amended to read as follows:
 
10      "[[]�302A-1504[]]  School-level minor repairs [and],
 
11 maintenance, and improvements accounts.(a)  The department
 
12 shall establish school-level minor repairs [and], maintenance,
 
13 and improvements accounts for the use of each public school,
 
14 which shall not exceed [$8,000] $20,000 per school.  The accounts
 
15 shall be comprised of funds appropriated to the department for
 
16 school-level minor repairs [and], maintenance, and improvements
 
17 and shall not be used for any other purpose, nor shall any other
 
18 funds be deposited into the accounts.  Any funds appropriated for
 
19 this purpose which are unencumbered at the close of each fiscal
 
20 year shall not lapse into the general fund.
 
21      (b)  Funds in this account shall be expended at the
 
22 direction of the school principal to contract for minor repairs
 
23 [and maintenance.  Any funds appropriated for this purpose that
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 are unencumbered at the close of each fiscal year shall lapse
 
 2 into the general fund.], maintenance, and improvements; provided
 
 3 that the principal may request that the department of accounting
 
 4 and general services perform these services and such amounts as
 
 5 may be necessary shall be transferred from the school accounts to
 
 6 the department of accounting and general services.  All
 
 7 expenditures from these accounts shall be exempt from chapter
 
 8 103D.
 
 9      (c)  Each school principal, through the superintendent,
 
10 shall submit a report annually to the department of accounting
 
11 and general services on expenditures made from this account.  The
 
12 department of accounting and general services shall submit to the
 
13 legislature twenty days prior to the convening of each regular
 
14 session, a report of expenditures made by the schools and the
 
15 department of accounting and general services, by departmental
 
16 school district."
 
17      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
18 New statutory material is underscored.
 
19      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.