STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3398

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1675

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1675, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to address instructional hours of public schools.

Specifically, this measure:

(1)  Extends the requirement for all public secondary schools, excluding charter and multi-track schools, to implement a school year that includes nine hundred ninety student instructional hours for the 2014-2016 school years, to apply the requirement to all school years beginning with the 2014-2015 school year;

(2)  Repeals the requirement for the public schools to implement a school year of one hundred eighty days that includes one thousand eighty student instruction hours for elementary and secondary school grades for the 2016-2018 school years;

(3)  Repeals the requirement for the Department of Education to submit a plan, prior to the convening of the 2015 Legislature, to implement a school year of one hundred ninety days that includes one thousand one hundred forty student instructional hours beginning with the 2018-2019 school year; and

(4)  Requires the Board of Education, in consultation with the exclusive representative of the appropriate collective bargaining units, to define "student instructional hours."

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education.  Written comments in opposition to this measure were received from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hui for Excellence in Education, and three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Education will have difficulty meeting the graduated instructional hour and day requirements established by section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  This measure maintains the instructional hour requirements at nine hundred fifteen hours for public elementary schools and nine hundred ninety hours for public secondary schools, excluding charter and multi-track schools.  Your Committee further finds that authorizing the Board of Education to redefine "student instructional hours" in consultation with the exclusive representatives of the appropriate bargaining units will provide clarification of the definition while addressing high-quality learning opportunities.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1675, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1675, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair