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Senate committee moves bill to create civic-education trust fund to expand middle-school civics
Summary
SB2754 seeks to establish a civic education grant program and a trust fund to sustain middle-school civic programs statewide. The PACE Commission testified that only 17% of DOE teachers receive civic-specific professional development annually and argued the trust fund would provide sustainable support.
Senate Bill 2754, which would establish a civic education grant program and a trust fund to sustain civic learning, was amended in committee and recommended for passage with an SD1. The bill is intended to provide steady funding for teacher professional development, curriculum supports and student civic-engagement projects across Hawaii middle schools.
Ke'ahe Davis, program specialist for the Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE), told the committee the data show a major gap in teacher preparation for civics: "Only 17 percent of DOE teachers receive civic specific professional development even once a year," Davis said, adding that middle schools lack adequate civics materials and that grant funding commonly used for civics is short-term. The PACE Commission urged the committee to pass SB2754 to create a stable funding mechanism and support proven programs.
Committee members asked how the trust fund would be administered and how sustainability would work if philanthropic funding declined. Davis said the trust fund would be housed in the state treasury, run through DOE, and could receive funds both legislatively and from private partners; the PACE Commission could assist in fundraising and program implementation. The committee amended the bill to embed civic education into social studies and to correct office names and technical language before recommending SD1.
Provenance: SB2754 testimony began at SEG 1670 (introduction and PACE testimony) and a committee amendment and vote were recorded at SEG 2448–SEG 2455.
