HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-15 Letter to Justin H. Woodson, Mark J. Hashem and Amy A. Perruso HCR 143-HR 132 Urging the UofH to Study the Feasibility of Establishing a HCC Distance Learning Center in the Puna District (2)
County of Hawai‘i
Office of the Mayor
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
March 15, 2019
Representative Justin H. Woodson, Chair
Representative Mark J. Hashem, Vice Chair
Representative Amy A. Perruso, Vice Chair
Committee on Lower and Higher Education
Dear Chair Woodson, Vice Chairs Hashem and Perruso, and Committee Members:
RE: HCR 143/HR 132 Urging the University of Hawaiʻi to Study the Feasibility of Establishing a
Hawaiʻi Community College Distance Learning Center in the Puna District
Puna, with a land mass about the size of Oahu, is the largest geographic area in the State of Hawaiʻi
without an institution of higher learning. Its residents, perhaps attracted by the relative affordability of housing,
are among the state’s lowest income and suffer the highest poverty rates. Much of the district lacks access to
reliable, high speed internet, making on-line or web-based learning a challenging hardship, and the long
commute to Hilo and its “big city amenities,” like the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community
College, may be prohibitive for reasons of both time and money.
The establishment of a distance learning center within the Puna district would provide essential access
to post-secondary education within a reasonable commute distance, thereby enhancing opportunities for
students to develop their skills and improve their futures without leaving their home district.
I appreciate this Committee‘s support of SB 457, SD1, on this same subject, and ask that you support
this Resolution and Concurrent Resolution as well.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR