2006 Issue Briefs
from Senator Norman Sakamoto
DRUG TESTING FOR TEACHERS- 10/27/06
On October 10, a public school teacher was arrested for allegedly selling nearly a pound of "ice" (crystal methamphetamine) while at school.
KAILUA HIGH SCHOOL AUDIT- 10/27/06
In its first-ever management audit of a public school, State Auditor Marion Higa found serious problems at Kailua High School.
CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THE WASHER/DRYER SYNDROME - 10/27/06
The Hawaii charter schools recently made the news with the recent dismissal of the charter school administrative office's (CSAO) executive director Jim Shon.
FIXING OUR SCHOOLS -- THE TURNAROUND- 10/19/06
After years of struggling with a huge repair and maintenance (R & M) backlog, Hawaii public schools are continuing to make major headway in reducing the backlog.
ADVERTISER POSTS GAS PRICES - 9/6/06
On August 23rd, the Honolulu Advertiser printed the article "Gas cap would have cut summer's prices."
GASOLINE PRICES TO BE POSTED - 8/16/06
Our office recently received a number of inquiries about when the State would begin publishing wholesale gasoline prices and where that information could be found.
HAWAII'S WEIGHTED STUDENT FORMULA PRAISED - 8/3/06
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a report noting that weighted student formula (WSF) – was gaining broad support across the nation. The reported noted of Hawaii's WSF: "It is too early to tell what results Hawaii's comprehensive approach to WSF will yield, but it's one of the best developed WSF systems on the books today."
ACADEMIC FAILURE AND JUVENILE CRIME - 8/2/06
The State Attorney General office released a report1 in which it was found that academic failure was the most significant predictor of long-term incarceration at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, having the highest odds of 8.42 to 1.
MILITARY IMPACT AID – 6/25/06
At a recent Education Town Hall meeting at Schofield Barracks on May 24, there were questions about how federal impact aid benefits military children. The Hawaii Army Weekly noted that there was confusion about how "state Department of Education and legislative funding coffers, and even property taxes" figure in education funding.
"AUTO SHOP" BILL – 6/25/06
In recent years the Department of Education (DOE) has been having difficulty finding teachers for vocational education programs. Vocational education covers a wide range of subjects: automotive technology, construction, agriculture, food services, and drafting. The problem is a growing one as teachers retire and DOE needs to find suitable replacements.
WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? – 5/30/06
An improved economy has resulted in a $600 million general fund surplus for the State of Hawaii. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has approached this surplus by looking at public needs first – education, health, human services – then tax relief.
GAS CAP LAW – 5/30/06
Update - May 2006: The gas cap law has generated considerable discussion this session. In response to intense outside pressure blaming the gas cap for increased prices, the Legislature passed House Bill 3115 CD1, which suspends the gas cap indefinitely.
KAKA'AKO - 5/30/06
Update - May 2006: The Legislature passed House Bill 2555 CD1, which prohibits Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) from selling land in the Kakaako community development district.
GAS CAP LAW – 4/11/06
Update - April 2006: In late March, Senator Ron Menor proposed suspending the gas cap law for the time being while including a "safeguard" that would allow the cap to be reinstated if gas prices rise too high.1 This proposal seems to be a reasonable compromise.
KAKA'AKO - 2/14/06
As the ongoing discussion of the development of Kaka’ako continues, deciding on a sensible action plan on this special parcel has reached a critical point.
TAX RELIEF – 2/12/06
In her 2006 State of the State address, Governor Lingle proposed a $285 million tax relief package. The Governor's proposal, however, will not allow for sufficient funding of our educational needs. We need to fix our schools; the repair and maintenance backlog is now $525 million.