They're filling in for teachers. You probably know we don't get subs every day and we have openings all the time. So, they are used. >> So, we tried to do that and each time we tried to do that move, they quit. Um, just gonna two years in a row, >> right? Sometimes it's as member Goodwin mentioned, sometimes it's it could be transportation issues. they're in a neighborhood, they may walk to a school, then they show up and you say, "Okay, hey, head out from four corners, go to Newton, and they think, I can't get there." Right. And um >> I have after school things maybe their child is at the school. We've seen a lot of our parents try to work in the building where their children go to for >> before and after school care. >> Can I I have a question, I guess.
We call insurance companies. This process has just evolved into whoever wants to do take control. So the number should be between a superintendent and I agree we hire a superintendent. That number should be between the mayor and the superintendent and then we come back to the table if there needs to be cuts. We have a voice in that. But I really feel strongly that this process has gone to the weeds. It needs to be clarified. Um, and I don't know if it needs to be put in a charter or where it needs to be, but I've lived this process for a long time and I know our superintendent has too. And um, I've stood in front of town meetings on Mother's Day in South Hadley and fought for things that I believed in. I I just would say to you there is and always has been in Massachusetts a process between the mayor and the superintendent.
So, in those cases, you would need to go back to the Board of Land and Natural Resources and get those CDUPs amended for the conditions to be applicable. Thank you. Testifying next is the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. Chairs, vice chairs, committee. John DeFries, executive director of the authority. We submitted testimony and stand by our testimony. Thank you. Attorney General. Good afternoon, chairs, vice chairs, members of the committees. My name is Tina Tsuishina. On behalf of the Attorney General's office, we submitted the testimony with respect to three concerns. Um I'll be available for testifying. Thank you. Um That's everyone who signed up to testify. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Thank you, chairs, please. Chair, members of the committee, Greg Chun, University of Hawaii. I'm here to stand on our testimony and available for answering questions. Thank you. Anyone else?
Okay. Uh yeah, this is a strong priority bill for Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks. We care uh a lot about families that are struggling to afford to live here, especially with their child care needs. As Chris said from HiFi that uh the legislature and the governor, you all increased the amount that people could claim in this tax credit 3 years ago, but the percent cap is still there. So right now if you make over $50,000 a year, you can only claim 1 5 15% of your care expenses. So family making paying $10,000 for pre-K, which would be cheap, could only get a credit for $1,500 right now. Um this bill has been amended to actually target it better at lower income families and to make it a cheaper bill. Um so right now a family that makes up to $160,000 a year up to a family that makes up to $80,000 a year could claim half of their child care expenses.
Didn't Yeah. >> Yep. So, uh, I guess here would be my ask is if, like, Friday afternoon I'll give you a >> if if you all could update us and then next Friday after No, never mind. That's April 2nd is Good Friday, so then the following Monday after Easter. If you could just kind of give us a snapshot. Give you, uh, how the returns are coming in? >> Yep. Absolutely. And And we will probably see on the next HR agenda, um, at the next meeting, those that did not turn them in. Cuz they would be up in the resignation part that the contracts didn't come back. >> I'm just curious then what the what that data looks like, right? Do we have I'd love to see 100%, right? 90 99%, you know, whatever, right? Yeah. But, um, so, yeah, if you if you could just provide us with some of that, that would be great.
We have a motion or any questions? I make a motion to approve the account reconciliations presented by Chris Matthew. Second. All in favor? I. >> I. Thank you. Okay, it gets hard to believe it's this time of year again. But the Driscoll Scholarship Committee is looking for a school committee member to join. Does anyone need any information on what that is? I I think the past few times I've done it, it's been online. Or maybe I think last year last time I went in person. Yeah. Um but it's just a one meeting, Takes maybe an hour. Right? Uh could I impose upon the chair ask if she'd be willing to do that again? Speaking as a parent of a graduating senior. Mhm. Knowing a number of the kids in the class and looking to my left Oh, yeah. and seeing that there are others at this table Yeah, like the almost the entire table.
So, if I'm looking staying on topic here with the four corners budget line question, if I look at 29, Federal Street has I'm not looking at special education pairs just regular. They have three, four corners has seven and Newton has two >> instead of this is me. >> That's not special education pairs. That's just straight pairs per classroom. is what it's saying for school >> historic. >> No, no, no. Not for school. >> Yes, for school, >> but not special ed pairs. >> so I guess my question is why is there seven regular pairs, not special ed pairs, not fig. >> Okay. >> So, when they put aces in, this is historical. >> That has nothing to do with ACES. That's not the special education though. the decision was made to put paras in the regular classroom to support the regular classroom where those students would be, but they also have like a one-on-one for being acis.
Um I feel like we're trying to butt into their process and it's between the two of them. >> Just don't tell me I'm wrong, but I feel like we're lost on the lease. >> Um I had member child's on on stack. Would you like to respond directly to that right now? >> Uh yes. Okay. So for the process um when we were putting together the budget calendar some dates are already in writing like we must have a budget hearing we must publish x days so some of that already has been codified I think I don't know that I can make a motion for it right now but I think it would be reasonable to post budget season send the budget calendar and process to the subcommittee to do that deep dive review find ways to make a procedure that makes sense Does that's yeah that anyways back to the other thing.
Going once, going twice. Okay, seeing none. Are there questions? Sure. Good evening. Thanks. Um for the AGs. Thank you. I know there's a lot there to unpack. I'll probably be doing some follow-up after the fact to sort through some of this. But in short, the biggest first thing I wanted to just touch on was recommendations in everyone's testimony that touch on the CDUP and whether or not um as that follows the land, that should be specifically cited in the measure or not. And with DLNR's comments, I think you heard from the prior testifier, there are other things apparently that may not be necessarily specific to the telescopes and um MK Solar, could you speak to that? So, I believe it's um I think the general proposition that CDUP is run with the land and that it runs with the use that the CDUPs permit to the property.
And then it goes down step by step until a family makes 160,000 and they claim 5% of their expenses. So this is a real targeted way to keep our working families here and thriving. >> much, Nicole. Okay, Devon Thomas, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice and Support. Thank you very much. Next we have Mike Wien, Aloha Care in Support. Mike, are you present on Zoom? Not present, Chair. Okay, next we have Audrey Suga Nakagawa, AARP in Support. Thank you. Jean Evans, AAUW in Support. Shauna Keohuhu Prince Kuhio Hawaii Hawaiian Civic Club in Support. Evette K. Conner, Indivisible and Matriarchy Rising in Support. Leilani Keali'i Ekipi in Support. Leilani, are you present on Zoom? Not present on Zoom, Chair. Okay, next we have 3 4 5 6 7 Um over 30 people all in support, nobody in opposition. Anybody else wishing to testify on HB 2007?
Absolutely. Great. Thank you. Mhm. Are there any additional questions? All right. Do I have a motion? Motion. I'll [snorts] second. Lisa, I have a motion and a second. Ben Owens. Aye. Lisa Garcia. Aye. Carolyn Lopez. Aye. Patty Cuchran. Aye. Uh, President Cuchran, uh, board members, with your approval of the personnel agenda, I wanted to introduce our, um, assistant superintendent for administrative services. She's here in the, um, audience tonight. That's Dr. Amy Cram. >> [applause] >> Welcome to MUSD. Thank you so much for this opportunity. All right. All right. Our next action item is discussion and possible approval of the district benefit plan for school year 2026-2027. Mr. Beckett was supposed to do this one, too. He's really missing out on a lot of fun. >> [snorts] >> Well, I can I can help field questions. I I know that Mr. Harmon has also been involved in negotiations as well.
The entire table? I actually was going to offer I would happily do it, but I'm trying to remember if it happens before my term ends. Yeah. Yeah, and so I'd be happy to do it, but I'm we would have to It would it would be it would be before it ends. The meeting? Yeah, it would yeah. Would be before May May 19th technically, I guess. So if we Yeah. Right? Yeah. So as long as it's before that, I'm happy I'm happy to do it. Yeah. We'll make sure it happens. And I shouldn't speak for No, I was going to say the same thing. Yeah. Well, I mean we should we shouldn't be on a Right. You do have I on on a We shouldn't be appointed to a position where we're going to have a conflict with Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll ensure the meeting happens before.
So the idea was and it really I think if you look at their data it pays off that in some cases in those classrooms there's three adults there's a two paras so instead of focusing on that what I would love is for us to figure out a way that all three elementary schools have the same number of paras Um, and then it was federal and then it was four corners. >> But if you had a pair in every single classroom, that would be 10. >> I think what your issue is that the the seven at four corners for regular pairs was based on last year's plan post re reconfiguring everything. So the revised regular red pair is which and this was the talked about this at the last time that I've now have I say like an FI26 original FTE which was the voted budget with the redistricting then I have now the FI26 revised FTE and then the FI27 projected FTE.
When I vote to advance this by no means am I saying this is a perfect budget. I'm saying yes let's start these negotiations. Let's get these conversations going. We had to bring something to the table to start negotiating from. What we brought to the table was status quo level service plus just a small amount reding. We know we're not getting that, but we know that you can't go in to buy a new car and say, "Okay, I'd like to buy a car. I'm not going to tell you my price range. I'm not going to say anything. Just give me a car." So, th this is just a starting point for these conversations. >> Can we call the question? >> Yes. >> Yep. Question has been called. Um, >> so now we proceed to the vote directly. >> All right. >> So, the motion that is on the table is to approve the budget as written.
So, without a CDUP, the uses will not be permissible. So, and the fact So, the fact that, you know, even though they're If the conditions are not met, then someone would need to be responsible for the conditions to be complied with, or else they won't be authorized. So, technically, even if um a permitted is not named, someone with a land interest, presumably the state agency with the management and control of the property, may be um liable for compliance with the conditions. Does that make sense? We'll have to follow up on that. >> Okay. >> [laughter and clears throat] >> Um secondly, uh to your other point on some of the liability and Yes. >> um other things that you mentioned in your testimony, um there's obviously a complex situation laying out here. Is there uh any Are there any other specific recommendations for how to resolve that that were not mentioned in your testimony that might apply?
Okay, seeing none. Members, any questions? So let's make it over 20 cuz I didn't count. You rounded it off to 20. I rounded it off. Okay, mov- moving on. HB 1518 uh relating to supplemental nutri- nutrition assistance program. First up, we have Rye- Ryan Yamano, Department of Human Services providing comments. >> [music] >> Thank you. Uh DCR, Department of Cor- Corrections and Rehabilitations in Support. Good afternoon, Chair, Co-chair, committee members. My name is Kristie Okuyama and I'm from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. I stand on written testimony submitted by Director Tommy Johnson in support of House Bill 1518. Um we have started our pilot program with Department of Human Services at two of our facilities, Waiawa Correctional Facility and Women's Community Correctional Center. Thank you. Thank you very much for that, Kristie. Christine Johnson, Hawaii Correctional System Oversight [clears throat] Commission in Support. Christine?
And so he can help field questions as well. So I do know that for this one it's We do this every year and as we had discussed in our previous budget discussions. This plan The district does not We're absorbing the cost instead of sending it to the employees. So Is that my understanding correctly? Yes, it's some good news at our budget projections. We set aside 14% as a high mark. Our our actual rate increase is 9%. Still isn't great, but the the national trends in health care health insurance are never great. So But yes, we are uh absorbing those costs on all of the employee plans. The the dependent plans will feel that 9% impact. But the employee plans will not.
That's what I'm saying. Okay. So I'll move to appoint Lori as the school committee member representative to the school scholarship committee. Second. All in favor? I. Thank you, Lori. Thank you. My pleasure. Chris, let's make sure we contact Corey tomorrow. Yep. Um and I just wanted to acknowledge Mary Lou Hunt is also a participant of this. She Um and then it would be a Orange and Betty and Corey and myself. Um Okay, awesome. Yeah, and I guess if there's I guess I just I I I just ask if there's any problem whatsoever with the timing and for some reason the deadlines don't line up whatever as long as we can fix that on our April 6th meeting to get somebody else in there. But otherwise if we can meet before the night May 19th I'm I'm it. I'm Nicole, yep. Okay. Good catch. Um Jim you want to speak on the WACA item?
So right now the revised regular ED pair is at four corners are three at four corners >> three at Federal Street. three at Federal Street >> and then three at Newton would be my guess. >> Three, correct? So, it's 33. >> So, it's not 732. >> I think it's really hard because I'm like looking at the numbers that are not accurate and then we're having these discussions which we shouldn't even >> numbers were accurate and the for the FY26 budget when it was approved. >> 27. >> No, 26. The number seven. We tried to talk about like last time about the fact that when we were looking at the FY26 FTE column that was the FTEES as the budget was voted originally. >> So voted by school committee. So this was the plan before it went to the mayor and before the cuts happened >> last year.
>> Um, and send that off to the mayor. >> Would you please call it? >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. >> Member Webb, I I am a no. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Den, >> yes. Mayor disorder. >> No. >> Member Dyman. >> Abstain. >> Member Goodwin. >> No. >> Vote. >> Um, we're going to have to I'm assuming that no one will change their votes in the interim. Um, aside from a member who may who abstained who may need to vote, otherwise we're hung. >> Okay. Um, then I will vote no. >> Okay. So, that motion has failed. We're back at it. Um, we need a new motion put on the table because we have to forward something to the mayor >> by April 1st, which is 6 days from now. So, we can either schedule a new meeting or keep going on this meeting.