STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2477

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3334

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 3334 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal the Complex Area Superintendent position;

(2) Clarify that School Community Councils shall submit principal evaluations to the Superintendent of Education, who shall have final authority to appoint a principal; and

(3) Require the Department of Education to adopt rules.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from eleven individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Education; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Kuhio Elementary School; Ilima Intermediate School; Waiʻanae Intermediate School; Principals of the Radford Complex; Waiahole Elementary School; Waikiki Elementary School; Wailuku Elementary School; Principals of the ʻAiea Complex; Kaʻu High and Pahala Elementary School; Waiʻanae Elementary School; Kealakehe High School; Lahainaluna High School; Pukalani Elementary School; Pauoa Elementary School; Kauluwela Elementary School; Mountain View Elementary School; Hokulani Elementary School; Fern Elementary School; Noelani Elementary School; Kohala Middle School; Kohala Elementary School; President Thomas Jefferson Elementary School; Mānoa Elementary School; Jarrett Middle School; Royal School; Holualoa Elementary School; Queen Kaʻahumanu Elementary School; Henry J. Kaiser High School; Kauaʻi High School; Haleʻiwa Elementary School; Paʻauilo Elementary and Intermediate School; Kaiulani Elementary School; Kohala High School; Roosevelt High School; Stevenson Middle School; Honaunau Elementary School; Nuʻuanu Elementary School; Keaukaha Elementary School; Farington/Kaiser/Kalani Complex Principals; Kaimuki High School; Kids Hurt Too Hawaii; Lānaʻi High & Elementary School; Waikola Elementary and Middle School; Leihōkū Elementary School; Honokaa High and Intermediate School; Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind; a form letter from District Educational Specialists of Leeward District signed by six individuals; a form letter from Hana-Lahainaluna-Lanaʻi-Molokai Complex Area Principals signed by eleven individuals; a form letter from Principals of the Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area signed by eighteen individuals; a form letter from Retired Principals from the Baldwin-Kekaulike-Kūlanihākoʻi-Maui Complex Area signed by eleven individuals; a form letter from Principals of Castle-Kahuku Complex signed by sixteen individuals; a form letter from Kailua-Kalāheo Complex Area principals signed by fourteen individuals; a form letter from Baldwin-Kekaulike-Kūlanihākoʻi-Maui Complex Area Principals signed by nineteen individuals; a form letter from the Principals of the Moanalua Complex signed by six individuals; a form letter from the Principals of the Kaʻu-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Area signed by nine individuals; a form letter from the District Educational Specialists of the Windward District signed by five individuals; a form letter from Waipahu Complex Principals signed by eight individuals; a form letter from Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area Principals signed by thirteen individuals; a form letter from the District Educational Specialists of the Hilo-Waiākea Complex signed by six individuals; a form letter from Waialua Complex Area Principals signed by three individuals; and seventy individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Education.

Your Committee finds that the complicated bureaucracy of the public education system contributes to many of its systemic issues. Under the existing organizational structure, Complex Area Superintendents possess broad oversight and administrative authority but often lack the personal insight into school-level issues necessary to find effective solutions. Over time, the Department of Education leadership structure has expanded in layers, contributing to concerns about administrative growth relative to classroom investment. Additional levels of administrative positions also complicate communication between leadership and local families and increase the timelines to address many issues, including deferred maintenance projects. Therefore, changes to this leadership structure are warranted. Furthermore, granting the Superintendent of Education final authority over principal appointments strengthens system-wide accountability by preventing isolated regional hiring, promotes cohesive leadership, ensures rigorous candidate vetting, and upholds a well-defined chain of responsibility to the Superintendent of Education. This measure restructures and streamlines the administration of the public education system, lessening the gap between leadership and school communities to strengthen local accountability and responsiveness.

Your Committee notes that this measure is a work in progress with the goal of limiting the number of superintendent-level positions, including district, deputy, assistant, and complex area superintendents, to be appointed to the number of positions authorized by the Legislature. Your Committee believes that it is the role of the Legislature, not the Superintendent of Education, to determine the number of superintendent-level positions and funding level for such positions. Additionally, your Committee believes that public education governance demands visible accountability at every leadership level, therefore it is imperative to hold superintendent-level positions accountable through annual, transparent evaluations. The intent of this measure is not to weaken leadership capacity but to ensure that leadership growth aligns with measurable student outcomes and fiscal responsibility. Your Committee respectfully requests that your Committee on Ways and Means, should it choose to deliberate on this measure, hold a public hearing to allow for testimony on this measure as it moves through the legislative process.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that reestablishes the structure of the Department of Education from complex areas to an unspecified number of districts, to be headed by district superintendents of academics and deputy district superintendents, who shall be appointed by the Superintendent of Education and shall have authority over principals within their respective districts to ensure consistent direction over general operations and academic oversight;

(2) Inserting language that requires each district superintendent and deputy district superintendent to undergo an annual performance evaluation conducted by the Board of Education;

(3) Replacing language that would have required the Department of Education to utilize its administrative framework and resources, or designate certain appropriate authorities in place of repealed complex area superintendents with language that establishes district superintendents;

(4) Making conforming amendments throughout this measure;

(5) Updating section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(6) 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. 3334, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3334, 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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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair