Report Title:

Discretionary funds for public schools.

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for public schools to use at their discretion (HB292 HD1).

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

292

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

H.D. 2

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 appropriate funds to be used at the discretion of each public school to purchase supplies, equipment, and books.

SECTION 2. 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 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 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.