STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2795

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2922

       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 S.B. No. 2922, 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 lengthen the public school year from one hundred eighty to one hundred ninety days commencing with the 2015-2016 school year, and to repeal requirements for minimum student instructional hours.

     Additionally, this measure appropriates funds to the Department of Education to implement this measure.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from Hui for Excellence in Education and IMUAlliance.  Written comments on this measure were received from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

     Your Committee finds that this measure promotes the goals of education without impairing the collective bargaining rights of teachers.  It is your Committee's intent that the additional instructional days not replace professional development days or other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the number of days in a school year to an unspecified number 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 S.B. No. 2922, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2922, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair