STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3654

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 74

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 74 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE NEIGHBOR ISLAND SCHOOL COMPLEXES IN HEAT ABATEMENT STUDIES, USE SCIENTIFIC DATA AND METHODS TO DETERMINE HEAT ABATEMENT PRIORITY RANKINGS OF SCHOOLS, AND INCREASE TRANSPARENCY IN THE METHODOLOGY USED TO DETERMINE PRIORITY RANKINGS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Education to include neighbor island school complexes in heat abatement studies, determine heat abatement priority rankings for schools using scientific data and methods, and increase transparency in the methodology used to determine priority rankings.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and two individuals.

     Your Committee finds that many students in Hawaii have been subjected to hot classroom conditions which make it difficult for them to concentrate on learning.  Temperatures inside some of Hawaii's schools can reach well over one hundred degrees in the summer.  Your Committee further finds that school heat abatement measures are being developed throughout the State, and that the schools with the highest temperatures during school hours should have the highest priority as these heat abatement measures are put into effect.  This measure will help to address some of the concerns that have been raised regarding the existing method of determining priority of schools for heat abatement.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 74, and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair