STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2182

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3091

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 3091 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR FOOD SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Education for its food service operations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii Primary Care Association, and CARES.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from Ka Ohana O Na Pua and one individual.

Your Committee finds that healthy, nutritious school meals are critical to the development of Hawaii's keiki. Presently, the Department of Education provides approximately twenty thousand school breakfasts and eighty thousand school lunches daily to students and staff at public schools. School meals have become increasingly essential for thousands of students who rely on school breakfasts and lunches as their only meals of the day. Despite this significant mandate, the Department of Education has accumulated a deficit of over $20,000,000 for its food service operations, due to inflationary costs.

However, your Committee notes its concerns regarding the Department of Education's current data collection methods to understand school lunch trends, student preferences, and potential areas of improvement. Presently, the Department of Education utilizes software that provides menus, nutritional information, photos, translations, and a feedback section regarding the types of meals served to students. Your Committee notes that this method of data collection may not be conducive to reducing food cost or waste in public schools. Additionally, the software is a costly expense for the Department of Education. Therefore, your Committee recommends that the Department of Education consider the use of more direct surveys and assessments by the schools, rather than consultants or software with reoccurring costs, to understand the unique food preferences and needs at each public school.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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. 3091, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3091, 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