STAND. COM. REP. NO. 478-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1892

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 1892, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the exclusive representative for bargaining unit (5) to appoint to the Board of Education a nonvoting public school teacher representative; and

(2) Authorize the nonvoting public school teacher representative to participate in all Board meetings and enter executive sessions, except in certain matters related to collective bargaining or personnel issues.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association and Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Education; Office of Collective Bargaining; and United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee finds that although the Board of Education includes nonvoting student and military representatives, it does not currently provide a formal seat for public school teachers, who are the primary implementers of board policy and possess firsthand insight into classroom realities. Your Committee further finds that elevating teacher perspectives at the board level will strengthen policy deliberations by grounding them in professional pedagogical experience and the lived impact of decisions on students and educators. This measure ensures more informed decision‑making and enhances the board’s connection to classroom‑level needs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1892, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1892, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair