Bill Text: HI SR59 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Resolution 59

Introduced

Bill Title: Urging The Department Of Education To Utilize Obligated Capital Improvement Project Funds And Other Funds For School Facilities And Prioritize Expenditures Based On Greatest Need.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-14 - Referred to EDU. [SR59 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-SR59-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	59
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

urging the department of education to utilize obligated capital improvement project funds and other funds for school facilities AND prioritizE EXPENDITURES based on greatest need.

WHEREAS, the Department of Education is the only statewide school district in the United States, operating two hundred forty-eight public schools; and

WHEREAS, the average age of public school buildings in the State is seventy-two years; and

WHEREAS, in November 2023, the Department of Education proposed to lapse over $465 million in capital improvement funds originally appropriated for various school facilities projects; and

WHEREAS, as of December 2023, the Department of Education had over $2 billion in unspent capital improvement project funds, with approximately $880 million in obligated capital improvement project funds and an additional $1.2 billion that will lapse by 2026; and

WHEREAS, many projects at risk of funding lapses are critical infrastructure upgrades to ensure the safety and integrity of school facilities; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education is presently prioritizing projects relating to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or Title IX requirements; and

WHEREAS, however, with approximately twenty percent of the State's schools over one hundred years old, the Department of Education needs to better prioritize facility projects, especially when some campuses are in need of immediate plumbing and roof repairs; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has approximately one hundred eighty projects under construction and an unspent $130 million in planned projects that have been unable to commence within the past three years; and

WHEREAS, streamlining procedures regarding the expenditure of capital improvement project funds, including accurate project management, will promote transparency with the utilization of funds appropriated for various school projects; and

WHEREAS, the timely completion of school facilities capital improvement projects will provide safer learning environments to offer Hawaii's keiki high-quality educational experiences; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Education is urged to utilize obligated capital improvement project funds and other funds for school facilities and prioritize expenditures based on greatest need; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to fill key positions relating to planning and design within capital improvement project management; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to expend funding for critical needs that are part of obligated capital improvement projects; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to improve processes and efficiency with the backlog and timeline of planning, design, and construction of capital improvement projects; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is encouraged to develop a master strategic plan and road map for funding critical projects; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and Executive Director of the School Facilities Authority.