|
2014 Convention of the O‘ahu County Democrats
May 3, 2014
Moanalua High School Cafeteria
Resolution Title: 14-01 Urging That the Term "African American" be changed to
"American of African Descent" in Surveys14-02 Oʻahu County Democrats Celebrate the Passage of Marriage Equality 14-03 Regarding the Necessity for Communication Between the Public
and the Board of Education14-04 Regarding the Status of School Librarians 14-05 Urging the Party and Legislators to work together to Pass Public
Financing of Elections14-06 Requesting Neighborhood Boards to Support the Development of
Community-Based Disaster Preparedness Plans
OC 2014-01 Urging That the Term "African American" be changed to "American of African Descent" in Surveys
Whereas, The term "African American" does not adequately describe a particular ethnic group; and
Whereas, Many individuals in this ethnic group prefer not to be classified as "African Americans"; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, The Oʻahu County Democratics of the Democratic Part of Hawaiʻi urge the use of the term "American of African Descent" in surveys conducted by the Affirmative Action Committee of the O‘ahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; and be it
Ordered, That copies of this resolution will be delivered to all Democratic members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the members of the Hawaiʻi Congressional delegation.
Whereas, The Oʻahu County Democrats have strongly supported Marriage Equality for over two decades by including it in our Platform and the passage of resolutions supporting its passage into law; now therefore be it
Resolved, That Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi officially commends and thanks the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, for the leadership he showed on September 9, 2013 when he called a Special Session to convene on October 28, 2013 to decide the destiny of Marriage Equality in the Aloha State; and be it
Resolved, That Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi officially commends and thanks the Democrats of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature who served during the Second Special Session of 2013 and strongly supported the Oʻahu County Platform by voting for the passage of Marriage Equality; and be it
Resolved, That Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi calls upon its members to celebrate, as they each see fit, on December 2, 2014, which is the historic first anniversary of Marriage Equality finally being legally recognized in the Aloha State; and be it
Ordered,That copies of this resolution be transmitted to each Oʻahu County Democrat who is a member of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, as well as to the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, and to the Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui, Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, and the 2014 convention resolutions committee of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi
Whereas, The education of the children of the State is a major priority and concern of the people of the State; and
Whereas, Since the origin of the Board of Education, a public petition item on the Board Meeting agenda has enabled parents, teachers, students, and the general public to bring matters of concern to the attention of the Board; and
Whereas, The present Board has abolished that item, effectively making it impossible to notify the Board of problems that concern teachers, students and the general public; and
Whereas, The present agenda items listed are unclear and non-specific, making it difficult to ascertain what testimony the Board will accept; and
Whereas, Board meetings are now held at times and locations that make it difficult for parents and teachers to attend; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi urges the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi to request that the Board of Education reestablish the public petition item on the Board's Meeting Agenda, so that the knowledge and interests of the community may be made available to the members of the Board of Education; and be it
Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to each Oʻahu County Democrat who is a member of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, the Chair and all members of the Board of Education, as well as to the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui, Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, and the 2014 convention resolutions committee of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi.
Whereas, Numerous studies have demonstrated that when economic, educational, and other community variables are taken into an account, students from schools with credentialed librarians, adequate staff support, resource-rich school libraries and open access outperform students who lack these resources; and
Whereas, More free voluntary reading improves comprehension, vocabulary, and the acquisition of information; and
Whereas, A full-time qualified School Librarian makes a critical difference in boosting the reading and writing scores of the most vulnerable students; and
Whereas, Test scores show that the majority of public school students in Hawaiʻi are reading below grade level; and
Whereas, School Libraries and qualified school librarians are diminishing at an alarming rate, and there are now only 172 certified librarians for 255 public school libraries; and
Whereas, It has proven difficult to obtain accurate information from the Department of Education regarding the status of school libraries with certified school librarians so that the situation may be addressed; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi urge the Governor to request the Board of Education to ensure that each school has a school library, and determine staffing levels at each library including the number of certified Masters of Library Science (MLS) librarians, assigned clerical staff, budgets for library materials, and official student populations for 2014-15, and that this information be made publicly available; and be it
Resolved, That the Oʻahu County Democrats of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi urge the Legislature to set aside adequate funding outside of the student-weighted formula to ensure that students from every school community have a fully-equipped library with a full-time credentialed MLS school librarian, be it
Ordered, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to each Oʻahu County Democrat who is a member of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, the Chair and all members of the Board of Education, as well as to the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, the Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui, Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, and the 2014 convention resolution committee of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi.
OC 2014-02 Oʻahu County Democrats Celebrate the Passage of Marriage Equality
OC 2014-03 Regarding the Necessity for Communication Between the Public and the Board of Education
OC 2014-04 Regarding the Status of School Librarians