STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2139

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2862

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2862 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the installation of air conditioning in certain public school classrooms.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Education Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that excessively warm classroom temperatures in Hawaii's public schools adversely affect students and educational outcomes. Studies show that classroom temperatures over eighty degrees can negatively impact student achievement. Your Committee finds that temperatures in Hawaii's classrooms regularly exceed that eighty degree threshold and are recorded at over one hundred degrees during certain periods of the school year.

Your Committee further finds that the Legislature previously appropriated $100,000,000 for heat abatement upgrades to public schools. Your Committee further finds, however, that additional funds are required for the installation of air conditioning in approximately five thousand Hawaii public school classrooms that have not yet received air conditioning units or other heat abatement measures.

Accordingly, this measure will improve student well-being and educational outcomes by appropriating funds to the Department of Education for the installation of air conditioning in Hawaii public school classrooms that have not received air conditioning units or other heat abatement measures.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation amount;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2862, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2862, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair