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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
172 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S STATEWIDE BACKLOG OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS.
WHEREAS, the Department of Education is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 4,425 buildings statewide, which is more than twenty million square feet of space; and
WHEREAS, this is a time-consuming and financially-draining task as approximately twenty percent of Hawaii's two hundred fifty-seven public schools are more than one hundred years old, and the average age of school buildings in the State is seventy-two years; and
WHEREAS, properly repairing and maintaining public school buildings is necessary for the safety of Hawaii's students and teachers; and
WHEREAS, in January 2018, the Department of Education reported to the Legislature that the school repair and maintenance backlog was $293,000,000; and
WHEREAS, however, the Department of Education later redacted that statement, reporting that the true backlog was $868,000,000; and
WHEREAS, this backlog has sharply increased in the few past years and is now estimated to be more than $1,400,000,000, with more than four thousand six hundred repair and maintenance projects needed to be undertaken or finished by the Department of Education; and
WHEREAS, because many public school facilities in the State are in need of repair or renovation, this body finds that it is necessary to increase transparency and fiscal discipline by the Department of Education; and
WHEREAS, an audit of the Department of Education could help identify any shortcomings in the current distribution of funds and determine any necessary changes to increase the efficiency of the Department of Education's capital improvement repair and maintenance projects; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Auditor is requested to conduct an audit of the Department of Education's statewide backlog of capital improvement repair and maintenance projects; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in its audit, the Auditor is requested to examine:
(1) The Department of Education's processes for identifying and prioritizing repair and maintenance issues;
(2) The Department's Facilities and Maintenance Branch's processes relating to repair and maintenance projects, including how the projects are initiated and managed; and
(3) The Department's procurement of services and how the timely procurement of services may allow the Department to encumber appropriations to prevent those funds from lapsing; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to include projects relating to the renovation of central, district, and program offices in the audit; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and Auditor.
DOE; Auditor; Capital Improvement Repair and Maintenance Projects