Replacing this outdated practice as many other states have done with based community service allows youth to meaningfully participate in programs that strengthen connection to culture, place, and alahui. Mahalo Nuiioa for the opportunity to testify and I'm available for questions. >> Okay, thank you very much. Next we have um Venus Rosette Maderos Halakipa in support. Venus, are you present on Zoom? >> Not present on Zoom chair. >> Opportunity for youth action Hawaii. Kalista Ankog in support. Alicia, are you present? Kalista. Okay. Jamie Miller of Echolu mayoui in support. Jamie, are you present on Zoom? >> Yes, I am. >> Okay, please proceed. >> Mahalo chair for engaging with us on this issue. Um, and aloha to the vice chair and the members. We want to thank the community partners that have also shown their unrelenting support. And so we stand by our testimony, but I would just like to point something out that if for some reason this year this measure this measure is not adopted, legacy juvenile debt remains legally enforcable.
Any discussion? Okay. Vote signified by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passed. 26-111, approval of 2027 impact aid section 7002 application. Dr. Brown. I recommend the board approve the 2027 impact aid section 7002 application. The impact aid program grants fund it grants funds to school districts containing federally owned land in an attempt to supplement the funds lost uh in property not being locally taxed. So, asking for approval of that application. Can I get a motion? I make a motion we approve 26-111. Can I get a second? I'll second.
I'm sorry. I'm a West Valley student and West Valley is a very very country school. You could probably walk around school and you would probably see 60% of the students wearing hats. Like they we have been wearing hats our whole life. It's just our dress code now. like it's just born into us now. That's really all I got. >> Thank you. >> Are you allowed to wear in class? >> Uh, nobody tells us no. We wear a hat in class all the time. Um, any other questions? >> No. But thank you. I really don't have a super opinion one way or the other, but as a teacher, hats don't bug me. Students don't wear them. My class is kind of a teacher by teacher situation. Um, I wear a hat during summer school. My complexion does not support sitting in sun at the pool for two hours without one.
Um, but we're not receiving the funding for what you have here, for the number of students you have here. And we're in the business of educating students. So they've talked about in the state going to some enrollment based funding models because only five states in the nation still fund on an average attendance. The rest are all funded on enrollment. But there's a lot of um people pushing back against that in California because they're worried that won't make people accountable for attendance and that attendance rates will drop um if we're only funded on enrollment. So every year it kind of gets a lot of steam and they talk about passing it and then it doesn't fully make it. So, um, but that's something just to think about. And then we talked tonight about, uh, deficit spending and reserve balances. So, this is happening statewide. If you look here, um, in, um, in 2324, you can see the difference compared to now in the adopted budget.
Um and there's the truck there. It almost looks like it's trying to pull down that that uh that pole. But it's actually not. If you if you look on the end there, that's the whole role of our new fiber that uh basically supplies our internet for the district. Um and it went in and I have other pictures towards the end of the uh the presentation to show you actually the route and the raceway that u was was done. So again, this is the measure view project updates and schedule as well as some updates from some um items that were brought up um in the last the last meeting that I'll touch on. So we got projects and designs. Um as you can tell that I've updated this a little bit, added some more items. Um, and I don't know why I keep saying um, but um, school kitchen assessments.
>> Yeah. Every child should publish a book. So we're talking basically $50 a book. So the total cost for this program could be as little as 30,000, as much as 50 to $60,000. That's one Korea trip. One Korea trip that you guys took out of 14. >> Okay. >> This is not even one salary that you folks are asking to fund two deputies. Two deputies. You guys are asking for that money. Does it impact our students? And yet something that will impact our students. I'm sorry. I'm very passionate on this. Something that impacts our students. You guys say it's a fiscal constraint. This is this is terrible. You folks should be advocating for your students, advocating for them, especially for some of these schools that that are title one. And no, you take away programs. You take away the program at Kai. You take away these programs that bring kids to school.
That means license holds blocks employment collection referrals that damage credit, barriers to housing and military enlistment, and unresolved court obligations that follow young people well into adulthood for penalties the system rarely even recovers. This bill does not remove accountability. It replaces ineffective monetary punishment with community service and inabased culturally grounded alternatives that repair harm without destabilizing households or interfering with school and work futures. A mistake at 15 should not block opportunity at 25. Thank you so much. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Next, um we have Kianne Shiroa, individual in support. Okay. You're no longer ACLU. Okay, please proceed. >> Hello, chair, vice chair, committee members. Kerian Chiro, attorney. I'm testifying in strong support of this measure for a number of reasons. One, it follows best practices. Havi has made strides in implementing datadriven policies for reform in a juvenile justice system. We're actually being followed by other states.
Any discussion? Signified by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passed. 26-112, approval of 2026-2027 Madison Junior High School course curriculum guide. Dr. Brown. I recommend the board approve the 2026-27 MJHS course curriculum guide as presented. Can I get a motion? I'll make a motion. Can I get a second? I'll second.
So, I can see the reasoning why our kids would want to have some sort of um you brought up West Valley. That's where I'm at. So that's the where I'll speak to. It's kind of wide open, not a lot of shady areas, which we found during COVID when it started raining and everyone tried to huddle under the itty bitty teeny tiny little eaves and it didn't work out real great. So um as far as that goes, I don't see it as a big deal to allow students to have as long as they're not derogatory and represent things like drugs and gangs and those things. Um, I would caution when we start going down the road of adding qualifiers of reasons kids can have hats. Um, because we start excluding things. For me, it's the IEP. I get kids that come in from 8th grade with I get to wear a hat in my classroom because of my IEP.
And where the slate gray bar there, that's elementary districts. Um so you can see that back in 23 24 there most people had around a 25% reserve and now it's around 18 or so. Um interesting to point out here remember we're at just our 4% reserve. So this is representing all the districts in the state. So we are far below that where we're not um giving anything above our minimum reserve. But the reason that this is happening, you can see it's happening with high school districts and unified districts where everybody's reserved balances are dropping and deficits of spending has increased. It's due to all the onetime dollars. So all the COVID funding going away. Um and then all of our costs have gone up. And then also declining enrollment has affected that as well. So uh reserves are continuing to go down at many districts um as well as um the deficit spending going up.
We've got some some traction on that. Uh, we put out some um surveys to our director of food service to kind of fill out what her needs are for these kitchens. And uh so in design our architects and can put something together and for a hopeful start of the summer of 2627. And then uh the next one is the portable one and P1 and P2 relocation at Majestic Way. That will be happening over this summer. That's in design with the architects. And um fire alarms at Sieront Ruskin again that is in design. They should be starting that this fairly soon. Uh exterior window replacement at Northwood Elementary, that's going to be happening over the 26 277 summer. And uh the roofing at Ruskin, K1, K2, that's going to happen this summer. Uh classroom opening reconfiguration. So this is we did a trial last last summer at Majestic Way and we re re uh developed the entry to one of the pods and it we got really good feedback.
Instead, they stay home. They're absent and they don't learn. I I just want to be clear. We're not saying we can't do it because of fiscal constraints. We don't need additional funding. >> I was saying I'm going to raise the money. >> Okay. Understood. >> Well, it's understood >> what you've just shared. >> Okay. So, we raised the money and what the schools, you folks are still not going to support this. >> We do support this. We do support book. >> Let me get you on the record. So if we raise the money for this, you folks will support this measure >> for all of the Khi. We will check with this pilot >> and to be integrated in their school. It could be a standalone program but to be integrated so that it could be part of their literacy already, part of whatever it is that the school is learning.
And so, we want to add to that by passing this measure. Second, it advances racial equity. We know that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth are more likely to be in the juvenile justice system and this would be cost inborn by their family. And for families that have wealth, their children rather rather than having their parents write a blank check for them, hold them accountable. That's truly restorative justice. Recognizing the harm and being accountable. This bill also advances restorative justice. Aloha. giving back to the community and learning these skills. And last, it just makes fiscal sense. You've heard from the judiciary. They're not relying upon this funds to operate and they are in strong support. So, thank you to the committee for hearing this measure. Please pass. >> Thank you very much. Next, we have office of the public defender in support. Darcia Forester. >> Aloha, Deputy Public Defender Darcia Forester.
Any discussion? Okay. Signified by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passed. 26-113. Approval of 2026-2027 MCHS course curriculum guide, Dr. Brown. Yeah, I recommend the board approve the 2026-27 MCHS course curriculum guide as presented. Can I get a motion? I'll make a motion to approve 26-113. Can I get a second? I second.
I'm legally required to allow them to do so. So, just be careful when we start putting the language in there that we don't kind of put ourselves in a box that doesn't include those kind of situations. >> Thank you, J.
So the next steps will be the budget and LCAP planning for 2627 and we'll be starting that over the next several months. And as I mentioned earlier, we'll have the second interim budget update at the next meeting. Uh our P2 report of attendance will be due April 15th. And just so you know, our P1 was 718.08. So think of if we have 770 students right now and we were funded at 718, that would be pretty drastic. But we do get the three-year average. So, right now it's around 74267 without P2 numbers in there. Um, we'll have the virtual May Governor's budget revision, which is nice. We can attend from our computer. We don't have to travel. And that'll give us more solid numbers. We're hoping the one-time funds. Um, and for some of the things we've discussed tonight, we'll have some onetime funds maybe to look at and try to decide what we want to do with those, as well as a special education funding increase.
It's really helped the noise level and to kind of block off the classrooms from each other. And that we've picked actually the the new pod classrooms that will be u Brookree pod or pods B4 and C9. Um classrooms um at Majestic Way is C9 because we already did one there last summer. And then at Somerdale it's C9 and E15. So those are the main classrooms. It's a group of three. It's a podum which the entrances will get changed. And again the comprehensive infrastructure renewal and utility assessment mechanical systems those are in design and those will be um happening those projects will be happening over this coming summer. M at Majestic in Somerdale projects out to bid is we have the fencing at Somerdale and I actually have a picture in the picture uh section to show you where that fence is going to be located.
Like for Kaya, it could be they could be writing about the stream edge program. They could be writing about their culture. They could be writing about Hawaiian culture. >> Correct. And I I think with what you just shared, um, we can go back to the schools and get their input. I don't think any school would say, "No, we don't want to do bookm um, and it might not be all students, but I can survey those schools to let you know um, what they would be pursuing. We know we have two schools out um that provided testimony who have already said they would commit to serving all fifth graders um with this project. So that we have the answer for already. >> Do you survey all of your schools for any kinds of projects? Do you survey your schools? >> We typ the schools typically decide on the um >> okay >> learning activities.
I'm here in my capacity as the supervisor of our juvenile division. We are in very strong support. As you know, this bill has been kicked around for a couple years and there's been a bunch of changes, but I believe that we believe that this version is the best version of the bill. Um, we I just really want to emphasize this bill has no impact on restitution. Restitution is different than fines and fees and court costs. And also we really appreciate the inclusion of ANA based opportunities for community service and expansion of community service opportunities for our kids who are going through the juvenile justice system. So thank you. I'm available for questions. >> Thank you very much. Um anybody else? No one else having registered. We have um ACL. >> Oh >> hello. Sorry. >> Identify yourself. >> Aloha chair and vice chair and committee members.
Any discussion? Signified by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passed. 26-114. Approval of agreements, contracts. A, approval of lawn care contract. B, approval of agreement with Enviroscape, Dr. Brown. Yes, I'm recommending the board approve the lawn service agreement with Green Thumb Lawn Service in the amount of 49,920 for 26 weeks of lawn service. The locations are the administration building, >> [snorts] >> the high school, the junior high in Anderson. The duties will be mowing, spraying at the fence line, weed eating, blowing clippings off the walkways and roadways, and trash pick up off the grassy areas. So, asking for approval of that. And are you taking the second one now, too? >> That's I didn't know if you wanted to do both of them together. >> fine with me. >> Okay. >> And I'm also recommending the board approve the agreement in the total amount of $20,934.90 for Enviroscape.