STAND. COM. REP. NO. 774

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 1272
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B.
No. 1272, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Board of
Education to determine readiness standards for attendance at
kindergarten and grade school.

     In addition, this bill raises the minimum age for attendance
at kindergartens and grade schools on the traditional calendar by
approximately four months by requiring a child to meet the
minimum age requirement established by law at the time of
enrollment.

     Your Committee finds that attendance at kindergarten and
grade school should be based solely on the readiness of the child
for school.  Kindergarten and grade school are not intended to be
taxpayer-supported baby sitting services, and a great deal of
harm can be caused to the self-esteem of a child by basing early
education decisions on any considerations other than the
readiness of the child for school.  Your Committee also finds
that many private schools in Hawaii already retain a child for
one school year if the child is born late in the calendar year in
order to allow the child to mature more naturally.  Some private

 
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schools even go so far as to prescribe different cut-off dates
for boys and girls.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by specifying that the
minimum ages required for attending kindergarten and grade school
are to be based on the age of the child on the first day of the
school year as determined by the Board of Education.

     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.
1272, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1272, S.D.
2.

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



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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