TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
RE: SB 1474 SD1 RELATING TO TAXATION
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, at 10:30 a.m.
Chair Dela Cruz and Members of the Committee:
My name is [INSERT NAME]. I am a [TEACHER/COMMUNITY MEMBER] at [INSERT SCHOOL] in [INSERT DISTRICT] on [INSERT ISLAND]. I am submitting testimony in support of SB 1474 SD1 to increase funding for public schools and the University of Hawaii by increasing the GET by 1/2 percent. It's a small price to ask for the future of our keiki.
Our children are our future. When teachers instruct their students, [WE/THEY]build the foundation for equality and prosperity for tomorrow’s generations. Every dollar invested in our community’s public schools yields exponential returns, not just for our economy, but for the promise of a more open and democratic society.
Supporting this proposal will lift our public schools in Hawaii into the 21st century. A vote for this measure is a vote for the funding we need to lower class sizes that allow teachers to connect with their students, provide whole child education that includes the arts and Hawaiian studies, provide resources and services for students with special needs, and provide professional pay that reflects the value of our hardworking teachers.
[OPTIONAL: Insert a paragraph or two that begins with the line "We need additional funding for our public schools, because..." You can tell your personal story or share an anecdote about how lack of funding affects your children/students/community, how low pay and a lack of resources are driving teachers in your schools out of the profession, how teachers have to hold second and third jobs when they should be able to concentrate on their students after school, how investing in our public schools is an investment in our society/future.]
To deliver the schools our keiki deserve, please support this bill.
We need your help. Mahalo.
[INSERT NAME, DISTRICT, ISLAND]
_______________________________________________________________
Noted by JOY GRABAR: I posted this too late for teacher to act on this initiative; thus, this section of the post was moved to the second half of the announcement.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association's Government Relations Committee needs your testimony ASAP for Senate Bill 1474.
RELATING TO TAXATION. Increases the general excise tax and use tax by 0.5% to provide a dedicated funding source for the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii. Takes effect on 7/1/2050. (SD1)
Version SD1 would provide additional funding, 80 percent to public schools and 20 percent to the University of Hawaii, through a half-percent increase in the general excise tax (GET).
|
|
|
Please submit your testimony before Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 10:30 a.m. (24 hours prior to the hearing) for it to be considered on-time testimony.
|
|
| 
