STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1051-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2768

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2768, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KINDERGARTEN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve early childhood education in Hawaii by:

     (1)  Requiring school attendance for five-year-old children, making kindergarten attendance mandatory;

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Executive Office on Early Learning, to develop a statewide individualized kindergarten readiness process to collect information and data available through individualized kindergarten readiness assessments;

     (3)  Establishing within the Department of Education an individualized kindergarten readiness assessment tool; and

     (4)  Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, requiring all Department of Education and charter-school kindergarten classes to adopt the individualized kindergarten readiness assessment tool; provided that parents may exempt their children from the system.

The Executive Office on Early Learning, Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Educational Policy Center, Hui for Excellence in Education, Good Beginnings Alliance, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Punana Leo O Molokai Makua, IMUAlliance, Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, and several concerned individuals supported the bill.  Aha Punana Leo and a few concerned individuals supported the measure with amendments.  The Department of Human Services and Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children supported the intent of the bill.  A concerned individual submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended the bill by:

     (1)  Repealing section 302A-411, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which provides, among other things, that kindergarten attendance is not mandatory;

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Executive Office on Early Learning, to develop a statewide individualized kindergarten readiness system--instead of process--to collect information and data available through individualized kindergarten readiness assessments;

     (3)  Establishing within the Department of Education an individualized kindergarten readiness assessment system, instead of tool;

     (4)  Appropriating $870,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the administration, training, technology, and support necessary for the establishment of the individualized kindergarten readiness assessment system;

     (5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2014; and

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2768, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2768, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair