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Memo from State
Mental Health and Some Other Health Bills
Elections & Campaign Regulations
Ethics Bills
Action - Get Out Your Pen and Send a Postcard
Testimony: Various Proposed Bills on Campaign Financing (Alice Scott)
Testimony: Ethics/Standards of Conduct Bills (Alice Scott)
Testimony: Senate Committee on Public Employment (Alice Scott)
Environment
Testimony: Public Health, Youth and Welfare (Gretel McLane)
Current Trends in Education: The Voucher System...
Study of Educational Complex Proto-Types
Testimony: House Education Committee (Helen Tamashiro)

Testimony for the House Education Committee
February 25, 1971

RE: HOUSE BILLS #26 and #317

House Bill #26 is a Vehicle Bill

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before your committee. I am Mrs. Helen Tamashiro of the Hawaii State League of Women Voters. With me is another member of the school study committee, Mrs. Mabel Keesling, and our state president, Mrs. Ruth C. Snyder. I would like to speak to House Bill #26 and House Bill 1317 relating to the Board of Education and its reapportionment.

In 1969 League members throughout the state adopted "A Study of Schools in Hawaii". This study has led us to consensus that there must be a Board of Education whose members are working 12 months a year and are strong advocates of public education. We are fully aware of YOUR commitment to quality public school education in Hawaii. However, we are also aware that future legislative committees may not have men and women of the same deep commitment. Also with your other legislative responsibilities, we realize you are not in a position to give your undivided attention to any niggle area such as education.

We believe voters should elect people for the specific purpose of guiding education. At the present time the State Board of Education is the body charged with this specific responsibility. We believe the one-man-one-vote ruling was designed to increase citizen participation in elections and we do not feel the inconvenience of the ruling should be used as an excuse to eliminate one level of elected government.

The voters of this state have twice indicated their desire to participate in electing members of the Board of Education. tee attached sheets - this was the voting by Representative district in the election of 1970 on the proposed constitutional amendments).

It would seem this legislative body should now accept the mandate of the people, assign the task of reapportionment of the board to the legislative reapportionment committee (Article III, Section 4, Constitution of the State of Hawaii) as outlined in House Bill #317, and then let us all apply our efforts to fulfill the purposes of House Bill #26 "improve the educational system of the state of Hawaii."

Helen Tamashiro

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