HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	60
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of education to establish a task force to reintroduce vocational programs at public schools.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, all students have the right to pursue careers in their chosen fields, and the State must encourage students to do so; and

 

     WHEREAS, while not all students in the public school system have the propensity, qualifications, or desire to attend college or university, all students can achieve success through acquiring and honing skills that may be utilized in gainful employment; and

 

     WHEREAS, the public education system fails to help some students meet their educational goals through existing programs; and

 

     WHEREAS, the public school system currently has a repair and maintenance backlog of approximately $300,000,000, however this backlog does not include minor repair and maintenance projects; and

 

     WHEREAS, certain repair and maintenance work at some schools can take longer than at other schools because of geographic locations and distance from agencies charged with conducting repair and maintenance at these facilities; and

 

     WHEREAS, students, under the supervision of an instructor, should be allowed to undertake minor repair and maintenance projects, valued at $10,000 or less, in exchange for school credit; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's public schools once had vocational programs which not only helped to provide a career path for students, but also helped to produce well-rounded students; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the Superintendent of Education is requested to establish a task force to:

 

     (1)  Identify vocational programs that are appropriate for implementation at public high schools;

 

     (2)  Develop vocational program curricula for public high school students; and

 

     (3)  Identify any costs of or barriers to reintroducing vocational programs at public high schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Superintendent of Education is requested to invite representatives of appropriate trade unions and apprenticeship training programs of the community colleges to join or provide input to the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2017 Regular Session, the Superintendent of Education is requested to submit a report on the findings and recommendations of the task force including any proposed legislation; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Department of Education; Vocational Program; Task Force; Repair and Maintenance