Report Title:
School Priority Special Fund.
Description:
Creates the school priority special fund to enable principals at public schools to have a source of discretionary funding (HB292 HD1).
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
292 |
TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003 |
H.D. 1 |
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
||
|
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to the school priority fund.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that while schools have been afforded greater autonomy in recent years, the quality of public education would be further enhanced if schools had an increased ability to expend discretionary funds. This would encourage schools to become more engaged in their finances and allow schools greater flexibility in purchasing needed educational supplies, equipment, and books.
The legislature further finds that schools nationwide and locally are faced with fiscal shortfalls that make it very difficult to operate effectively. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has many requirements that schools must contend with, making it that much more difficult to direct funds where they are most sorely needed. In particular, schools are often forced to go without supplies, equipment, and books, and are forced to cut funding for supplementary programs in the absence of available funds.
Enabling schools to have moneys at their discretion would alleviate these problems by allowing schools to acquire needed supplies, equipment, and books in a timely manner, and as necessary for each school. Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Create the school priority special fund to provide moneys to be used at the discretion of each public school to purchase supplies, equipment, and books; and
(2) Require the department of education to create accounts for each public school into which shall be deposited moneys from the fund, which may be accessed as necessary by each school.
SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§302A- School priority special fund. (a) There is established in the state treasury the school priority special fund into which shall be deposited:
(1) Appropriations by the legislature;
(2) Donations or contributions made by private individuals or organizations for deposit into the fund; and
(3) Grants provided by governmental agencies or any other source.
(b) The department shall administer the special fund and shall establish one account for each school, using its decision-making process, to purchase supplies, equipment, and books."
SECTION 3. Section 36-27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§36-27 Transfers from special funds for central service expenses. Except as provided in this section, and notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, from time to time, the director of finance, for the purpose of defraying the prorated estimate of central service expenses of government in relation to all special funds, except the:
(1) Special out-of-school time instructional program fund under section 302A-1310;
(2) School cafeteria special funds of the department of education;
(3) Special funds of the University of Hawaii;
(4) State educational facilities improvement special fund;
(5) Convention center enterprise special fund under section 201B-8;
(6) Special funds established by section 206E-6;
(7) Housing loan program revenue bond special fund;
(8) Housing project bond special fund;
(9) Aloha Tower fund created by section 206J-17;
(10) Domestic violence prevention special fund under section 321-1.3;
(11) Spouse and child abuse special account under section 346-7.5;
(12) Spouse and child abuse special account under section 601-3.6;
(13) Funds of the employees' retirement system created by section 88-109;
(14) Unemployment compensation fund established under section 383-121;
(15) Hawaii hurricane relief fund established under chapter 431P;
(16) Hawaii health systems corporation special funds;
(17) Boiler and elevator safety revolving fund established under section 397-5.5;
(18) Tourism special fund established under section 201B-11;
(19) Department of commerce and consumer affairs' special funds;
(20) Compliance resolution fund established under section 26-9;
(21) Universal service fund established under chapter 269;
(22) Integrated tax information management systems special fund under section 231-3.2;
(23) Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund under section 328L-2;
(24) Emergency and budget reserve fund under section 328L-3;
(25) Probation services special fund under section 706-649;
(26) High technology special fund under section 206M-15.5;
(27) Public schools special fees and charges fund under section 302A-1130(f);
(28) Cigarette tax stamp enforcement special fund established by section 28-14;
(29) Cigarette tax stamp administrative special fund established by section 245-41.5;
(30) Tobacco enforcement special fund established by section 28-15;
(31) Sport fish special fund under section 187A-9.5;
(32) Neurotrauma special fund under section 321H–4;
(33) Deposit beverage container deposit special fund under section 342G-104; [and]
(34) Glass advance disposal fee special fund established by section 342G-82; and
(35) School priority special fund established by section 302A- ,
shall deduct five per cent of all receipts of all other special funds, which deduction shall be transferred to the general fund of the State and become general realizations of the State. All officers of the State and other persons having power to allocate or disburse any special funds shall cooperate with the director in effecting these transfers. To determine the proper revenue base upon which the central service assessment is to be calculated, the director shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for the purpose of suspending or limiting the application of the central service assessment of any fund. No later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session of the legislature, the director shall report all central service assessments made during the preceding fiscal year."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 to be deposited into the school priority special fund.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the school priority special fund the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 to provide discretionary funds to public schools for supplies, equipment, and books.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003; provided that the amendments made to section 36-27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by this Act shall not be repealed when that section is reenacted on July 31, 2003, pursuant to Act 142, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998.