STAND. COM. REP. NO. 516-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1896

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1896 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Education for community schools.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Hawaiʻi Afterschool Alliance; Parents for Public Schools of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice; Early Childhood Action Strategy; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Partners in Development Foundation; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Ceeds of Peace; Heʻe Coalition; YMCA of Honolulu; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Your Committee finds that community schools help align and leverage resources already in the community to address students' barriers to learning. Community schools are a proven, time-tested strategy that can produce short-term results, including improving family engagement and attendance and decreasing behavioral referrals. Community schools also help achieve long-term results like improving academic scores, school culture and climate, student enrollment, teacher retention, and graduation rates. Your Committee further finds that the funding provided by this measure will ensure high‑quality educational opportunities and improved educational outcomes for students through the support and input from families of students and the local community.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $2,152,500.

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 H.B. No. 1896, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1896, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair