001Aloha. Welcome to the Senate Committee on Education. Today is Wednesday, March 15th, 3:00 p.m. We are in hearing room 229. This meeting, including the audio and video of remote participants, is being streamed live on YouTube. You will find links to viewing options for all Senate meetings on the live and on demand video page of the legislaturator's website. This Zoom meeting and YouTube live stream event will include the 3:00 p.m. agenda for the Committee on Education. In the unlikely event that we must abruptly end this hearing due to major technical difficulties, the committee will reconvene to discuss any outstanding business on Friday, March 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. in room 229, and a public notice will be posted on the legislaturator's website. I'd like to take this time to remind our testifiers that due to time
002restrictions on our hearings, we will be limiting testimony to one minute per testifier per bill. For people participating remotely, please remain muted and video disabled until shortly before it is your turn to testify. When I call your name, unmute yourself and your time will begin. After your minute is completed, staff will meet you will mute you so that we can move this hearing along in an orderly and efficient manner. Okay. First item on the agenda is House Bill HD1 relating to school facilities authority. This transfers $200 million of general funds previously appropriated to the school facilities authorities of the Department of Education to the school facilities special fund appropriates an unspecified amount of funds out of the school facilities special fund for the school facilities authority to expand access to eligible children for prek. to
003testify. Lewis Salia, uh, chair, vice chair, members of the committee, Neil for the department. Uh, the department wants to offer two comments on this. First has to do with depositing all the money into the special fund in fiscal year 23. is going to have a adverse impact on our esser calculation. We would and for that reason we would suggest uh deposited in the money in fiscal year 24 instead July 1st rather than uh before June 30th. The second one is uh we just suggest that the committee may want to consider looking at the definitions in terms of what the special fund can be used for because our understanding is some of the contemplated uh facilities that for development may not fit quite within the definition of allowable uses right can you give an example well
004uh if they're going to do uh preschool facilities in the civic center area. It's not a school. I'm not following you. They say it's a school and they build it. No, no, but but when when you look at the definitions of the school facility things, you know, the project they're talking about is at school. The references are are at school facilities or on school, you know, you you know those kind of things. So if the development is not on a school facility, you you may want to give explicit authority to um SFA so that they can uh develop facilities anywhere that is deemed appropriate. Okay. Thank you. Next to testify, county after chair, vice chair, members of the committee, CH for school facilities authority will stand on my written testimony and support and be available
005for questions. Thank you. Next to testify, Uno Arical Cross. [Music] Aloha, Chair Kirani, Vice Chair, members of the committee. I'm Yuko Aikawa Cross, director of the Executive Office on Early Learning. We stand on our written testimony in support of this measure and defer to the school facilities authority. Mahalo for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. Next to testify, Sher Nakamura. Aloha, Cheridani, Vice Chair Kim, and members of the committee. Sheri Nakamura, director of HA Coalition. We will also stand on our written testimony in support of HB960HD1. Thank you, Sherry. Next to testify, Osak Tui Jr. I am Itiga speaking for Osatouille Jr. President of HSTA. Aloha Kirani and Kim and every Tim um Richards right and Kuha. Thank you so much for being here and thank you for supporting our preschools. We want to stand
006on our testimony and support everything you can do to help us expand access to preschool. We are very grateful for and um we'll help you along the way. Thank you. Thank you, Mitsy. Next to testify, Robert Peters, please. Good afternoon, Chair Kandani and Vice Chair Kim and members of the committee. Um, I'm Bob Peters, the chair of the Early Learning Board. The Early Learning Board stands on its testimony in support of this bill. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you, Rob. We also have written testimony and support from Calbertt Young, budget and finance VP, University of Hawaii and Dr. Ali Ali Sara on behalf of Kame Schools. Is there anyone else here wishing to testify? Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, members of the committee. Apologies. I think that we might have had an errand submitting
007our testimony, but Riley Fujisati, on behalf of the Office of Lieutenant Governor, we just like to testify in strong support with proposed technical amendment depositing the funds in fiscal year 24 to avoid any adverse effects to thee. Thank you. Thank you, Riley. Good afternoon, Deputy Attorney General Randall Nishyama for the Department of the Attorney General. I apologize for not submitting my testimony on timely basis. We suggest amending various sections in chapter 302A, 1701, 1703, and 1706 to facilitate the expenditure of monies by the school facilities. authority to specifically include prek facilities and we'll get you the language that we suggest. Okay. So, you don't have the language here today? No. Okay. Thank you, Randy. Thank you. That's all the testifiers we have. Members, questions of any of our testifiers? Senator Kim? Um, facilities management facilities
008authority. So is on the CIP funding for DOE does that not come under facilities management DOE facilities it this 257 money is comes under school facilities authority directly for us this money but I'm talking about all CIP does that fall does that now come under facilities all DOE CIP well so the current funing is still with office of facilities or in the DOE. So I guess I'm trying to square that how much how much CIP projects does DOE have that's backlogged? I don't have that number. That'd be a question for office of facilities. They're not here. Okay. because my understanding it's really that long years and years millions and millions. So I'm just wondering we're giving more money to facilities and we can't even take care of this stuff. So is there any any move
009to relook at some of these monies that have been possibly um encumbered but have never not been used for all these years or I I don't know. We that' probably be a question for Okay. So, who's here that's going to take that down and get make sure we get that information? Somebody Okay. Thank you. Okay. Okay. I um so for clarification, the school facilities authority was designated for uh prek building prek classrooms are teacher housing only and it's separated separate from the DOE facilities that clication. Thank you. And I think um the issue that Senator Kim has with the backlog is something that we should be looking at uh sooner or later, probably sooner. And you might want to take that back to uh Randy and um ask uh yeah some information as to how
010how much money you would have pending it because at some point it does lapse. Um not if they encumbered it. Yes, correct. If they encumbered it but it's numbered in Yeah. the projects have not been started in some sense. So, it's something that if uh yeah, on the record that if you guys could get to the this committee, I would appreciate it. Thank you. Okay, members, if no further questions for House Bill 960HD1, we will move on to House Bill 961HD1 related to early learning appropriates fund funds for the preschool open work program and executive office on early learning to expand access to preschool and to implement program changes required by previous acts. expands the types of entities from which a preschool open door service provider may obtain accreditation. Expands a preschool open doors program
011application process to eligible three-year-old children. Authorizes preschool open doors special fund to accept federal funds to testify governor's office. Chair, vice chair, members of the committee, Riley Fijisaki. On behalf of the Office of Lieutenant Governor, we just like to stand on our testimony in strong supportive bill. Thank you. Thank you, Riley. Kathy Betts, director, Department of Human Services. Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, and members. Scamisha administrator of the benefit employment and support services division on behalf of DHS and our director Kathy Vets. The department supports this measure and defers to EO regarding the public pre kindergarten program. In addition regarding part two section 3 uh we suggest amendments to section 346 184 AHRS to change the accredititation requirement to be voluntary. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and we're available for any questions. Thank
012you Scott. Next to testify, Robert Peters for the Early Learning Board, please. Good afternoon. Once again, um, thank you for the opportunity to testify in strong support of this bill. The early learning board defers to both the department of human services and the executive office on early learning with regard to any particulars within the bill. Thank you. Thank you, Robert. Next to testify, Yuko Arical Cross, Executive Office on Early Learning. [Music] Hello, Chair Kani, vice chair, members of the committee. I'm Yuko Adiko Cross, director of the executive office on early learning. We stand in support of our written testimony and look forward to expanding the three-year-olds and defer to DHS as it relates to preschool open doors. I'm happy to answer any questions and thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you. Next to
013testify, Koku Ritz for Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks. uh chair, vice chair, members of the committee, um Kuritz, director of early learning and health policy with Hawaii Children's Action Network speaks. Um we stand in support of this measure. We are asking for a couple of amendments. Um namely, and I want to highlight them very quickly. Um we support the expansion of prescopors, but we want to make sure that it's effective. Um the amendments we're asking for are essentially asking for the legislature to make the division clear that we're going to ask for expansion of eligibility. um for for families higher income levels. Um as well as ensuring that practically speaking, if we are going to increase reimbursement rates that they that providers are actually able to use those reimbursement rates because currently um they cannot
014accept any payment over or in practice would not accept any payment over their actual tuition rate. So if their tuition rate is set for $1,100, but the reimbursement rate is 1,500, they wouldn't be able to get that $400. We want to make sure that it's that it's put into law and that you're um we think it's prudent to have that in the intent of the legislature to have that full expansion. Here to answer any questions. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next to testify, Sher Nakamura Coalition. Aloha chair, vice chair, and members of the committee. Sher Nakamura from Hea Coalition. Uh we will stand on our testimony and support. Uh we really appreciate the efforts of the legislature to expand and strengthen our mixed delivery system of prek opportunities. Bolstering preschool open doors in particular
015will help families increase access to early learning options and help children be better prepared to enter our K12 system. Thank you for this opportunity to testify. Thank you, Sherry. Next to testify, Philip Bosard, executive director, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. Thank you, Chair Kadani, and um members of the committee. My name is Phil Bosard. I'm the executive director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. We stand in support and strong support of this amendment and uh happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Phil. Next to testify, Michael Bolia Jr., chair, Stonewall Caucus of Party of Hawaii. Good afternoon, Chair Michael Golia Jr., chair of the Stonewall Caucus. We thank you for hearing this bill. We stand in full support. Uh we do oppose anything that would make accreditation uh optional. Uh we believe accreditation is
016necessary, especially when dealing with our kei. And we would like to if just to remind everybody that anybody we I want to make sure that anybody who uses these funds would do so in the same way that a GIA and they cannot discriminate. So that being said, we thank you for hearing this bill. We look forward to passing it. Mahalo. Thank you, Michael. Next to testify, Doug for Early Childhood Action Strategy. Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, and members of the committee. I'm Doug Emeg, the lead for evidence and outcomes for early childhood action strategy. We stand in support of this bill and we stand on our written testimony and I'm glad to answer any questions. Thank you so much. Thank you members. We also have a number of written testimony all in support with a
017couple comments. Members, are there any questions of our testifiers? If not, moving on to our final bill. House Bill 503HD2 relating to computer science education requires the board of education to work with the Department of Education to conduct an analysis on the need, impact, and feasibility of making computer science a graduation requirement. requires the board to determine whether making computer science a graduation requirement would be in the best interests of public school students and the public. Requires a report to the legislature. Appropriates funds for teacher professional development in computer science to testify. Superintendent Hayashi. Good afternoon, Chair Kedani, Vice Chair Marcato Kim, members of the committee. I'm Heidi Armstrong, Department of Education, and we stand on our written testimony offering comments. I would also like to add that this bill is not part of the
018DOE's administrative package. Thank you for the opportunity. Next to testify, David Nishiro, executive director, Hawaii Kids Kent. [Music] Load chair Kanani, Vice Chair Kim, and members of the committee. Hawaii Kitscan stands on our written testimony in strong support of HP503H2 with a few notes. May 3rd, 2018. We believe this is the last time the Hawaii Board of Education has taken up computer science education on an agenda. At the time, the DOE approved K12 computer science standards for our school. While the DOE has made clear progress since then, our schools are not on track to meet the legislaturator's goal from act 158 that beginning with the 2024 2025 school year, all public elementary, middle, and intermediate schools shall offer computer science courses or computer science content. Uh this will ensure that the collaboration to reach this
019goal will happen between the legislature, BOE, and DOE. So we are looking forward to this bill serving as a powerful catalyst for equity and access. Thank you. Thank you, David. Next to testify, Trevor Aberusa for Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Trevor is not here. Next to testify, Amber Davis, testifying for hope.org on Zoom. Hey there, chair. Thank you so much. Thank you, members of the committee. Um, House Bill 503H2 would be a great step forward for Hawaii students. Allowing the Board of Education to to determine the feasibility of a computer science graduation requirement will help ensure all Hawaiian students learn computer science and to especially close the gaps in computer science for girls and underrepresented students. Currently in Hawaii, even even though every school is required to offer computer science, there's still 23% of schools that
020are not providing this foundational learning opportunity for students. It's become increasingly clear that we cannot leave these opportunities to chance for students. There is a stark gender gap among students who enroll in computer science. And while this gap is narrowing every year, when you look at the gender breakdown of um of the students taking computer science, only 23.8% 8% of those students are female. This is not unique to your state and states that we've seen solve this problem have passed computer science graduation requirement which is why we are advocating for this policy and think it's a great step forward to have the board evaluate the feasibility of this. Thank you for your time. Thank you Amber. Next to testify Celeste Endo also on Zoom. Let it grow. Let it grow. Let computer science grow. A
021aloha aa chair Kadani, vice chair Kim, and members of the education committee. I am Celeste Endo, a preschool through fifth grade computer science teacher at Queen Kahunaru Elementary. Last month, third graders sang along with Elsa and made their very own card games to learn the computer science concept if Elsa. Oops. I mean if else conditionals. Our preschoolers even came up with this conditionals game. If black card shaka won everybody else, red card we twist. Let's try it. Seven of clubs. True. We shaka. Three of hearts. Else. Oh, it's a false. So we go to everyone. My kay very good if we support computer science our kids will shine else Hawaii will far fall far behind. Thank you. Mahalo. Mahalo. We also have seven written testimonies mostly in support, one giving comments and one in opposition.
022Members, questions of any of our testifiers? A general question to all the ones in support. Have any of you gone to the board of education and ask them to put this as part of the um curriculum? Because they always say that, you know, we micromanaging we micromanage the regions or micromanaging voter education, telling them what to put in. Frankly, I think we should have um fiscal literacy as part of the graduation um requirements. So, um, shouldn't this be something that the board of education should be determining? So, of the legislature, I don't want to speak for the department, but on behalf of what we've actually thought, you come forward. Thank you for the question. Um, yes, we've certainly reached out to the board of education numerous times. As I pointed out, it was back in
0232018 the last time the board has actually put computer science on the agenda. I do know that they have a number of priorities, including a new strategic plan, but I agree uh this is 2023 and there are a number of priorities including financial literacy that could be a part of the student experience. So again, this may not be the ideal venue for that conversation, but hopefully it sparks uh the needed discussion that should happen there. Thank you. Thank you uh for that information, David. Members, I will also tell you that in discussion with the board of education, I recently uh was told that the board is going to set up another committee that looks at um these requests for for different curriculum. Um because uh as Senator Kim pointed out, we often get calls for
024uh financial literacy curriculum in the schools and my question has always been um do we add more hours to the school day to have these other uh courses. They are for the most part offered as um um yeah as uh requested or what do we electives? Electives. Yes. Um, and so I don't know if uh Heidi can address a comment made by one of the testifiers that not every school offers um the financial literacy I'm sorry for um computer science. So, we're we're following Act 158 and we are on track to meet the requirements of this year um that require each um one public school um one public elementary, one public middle or intermediate shall offer the content beginning this year, then 50% next year, moving to 100% um all schools in um the for
025the third year. So we are on track for that and we'll have the exact numbers for you when the 2023 report comes out on act 158 in July. So um this is for financial literacy or computer science. Thank you Heidi. Another question. Sure. So Heidi, I know that there is a lot of push for early college and a lot of the kids um who feel pressured because the pressure is put on them at an early age to determine what they're going to major in or what is their life profession and so forth. Uh and many of them are not don't have the time to really enjoy high school. So, does that also affect the fact that if they're going to be doing early college, then all of these electives are that they're not able to
026take the electives or that if we're going to increase the the um graduation requirements, how does how does early college compete or work with with some of these requirements, right? and and I I think there's value in all. We we don't force any student and we we want to be cognizant of that to take early college courses but there are some students who do want to take early college courses. So I think the array of offerings that we can provide to our students um the larger the array the best but we we don't want to um pigeonhold any student in one track nor do we um expect them to decide on their career. We want to expose them to a variety um all of the offerings that are out there and let them choose their
027own pathway. I I realize that this the DOE itself does not put the pressure but peer pressure, family pressure, and then we wonder why our kids get to college and they need psychologists and they need therapy. Um, and we're seeing more and more of that. And there must be some correlation with all of this pressure starting from intermediate school where they're talking about career track already. when I know when I was a senior, I still didn't know what I was gonna what area I was gonna go in. And I still don't Yeah. What I what I what I majored in and what I'm in now is certainly not the same thing. Um but I mean, you know, but the pressure on on on our kids today um that has to have a bearing on them.
028So, and I don't know, we don't ever talk about that. So, and thank you for that that we we I do note that. I I I do think the department does need to be very cognizant of that to make sure that our kids are um academically astute but also emotionally healthy because you know parents see that oh they're offering or college how come you're not taking her to college why aren't you part of this you know that pressure um is great on our young people so thank you thank you members further questions okay recess Yes. Being the committee on education. The recommend recommendation of the chair will be to defer to Monday, March 20, 2023, 3 PM in this room 229 all three items on the agenda. This is House Bill 960HD1, House Bill 961HD1,
029and House Bill 503HD2. Members questions not meeting a journ.