Hawaii House Bill HB532

Hawaii 2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/23
• Refer: 1/27/23
• Report Pass: 2/14/23
• Refer: 2/14/23

Caption

Relating To Hawaii Community College.

Impact

The bill seeks to appropriate necessary funding to restore five full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the Ko Education Center. These positions include roles for an auxiliary and facility services officer, a career and technical education specialist, a lab coordinator, an administration and fiscal specialist, and a faculty member for the new career and technical education wing. This allocation of resources is intended to enhance the operational capacity of the education center and enable it to reopen its facilities to better serve the educational needs of students in northern Hawaii.

Summary

House Bill 532 focuses on restoring staff positions at the Ko Education Center, previously known as the North Hawaii Education and Research Center, which is now under Hawaii Community College. The bill outlines the history of the center, detailing how it was renamed and transitioned in 2019, but faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the loss of 67% of its permanent staff. This loss has severely impacted the center's ability to fulfill its educational mission for the community it serves, particularly in the areas of instruction and student support.

Contention

While the bill appears straightforward in its intent to improve educational services, it may raise discussions about state funding priorities and how educational resources are allocated, especially in the wake of significant budget impacts from the pandemic. There may also be local concerns regarding the effectiveness of the proposed funding in addressing the existing educational service gaps and whether the measures taken are sufficient for long-term sustainability of the center's programs.