STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2062

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2334

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2334 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Board of Education to hold a minimum of six community forums annually, with at least one forum being held in each county;

(2) Require the Board of Education to include an open forum on non-agenda items at the conclusion of the regular meeting agenda for any public meeting properly noticed by the board; provided that matters to be discussed during the open forum are within the board's purview; and

(3) Require the Board of Education to report to the Legislature on the implementation of open forums.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices.

Your Committee finds that the development and implementation of policy in public schools benefits from public input. Your Committee further finds that parents are entitled to have the opportunity to comment on important matters concerning the education of their children. Your Committee notes the testimony of the Office of Information Practices, which commented that this measure creates a permitted interaction for holding a community forum that is an improvement over the existing statutory language. Accordingly, your Committee finds that this measure will increase engagement and transparency by providing more opportunities for public input in the policy-making process for public schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 2334, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2334, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair