STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3605

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 189

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Government Operations, to which was referred S.R. No. 189 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REISSUE REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE JOB ORDER CONTRACTING PROGRAM CONTRACTORS AND PREQUALIFIED SMALL CONTRACTORS TO ENSURE THE CONTINUITY OF THE FUTURE SCHOOLS NOW PROGRAM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Education to reissue Requests for Proposals for the Job Order Contracting program contractors and prequalified small contractors to ensure the continuity of the Future Schools Now program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education and one individual.

Your Committees find that delays in school facility repairs negatively impact student learning environments, teacher retention, and overall campus safety and functionality. The Department of Education's Job Order Contracting program has mitigated these issues by demonstrably reducing procurement timelines and costs compared to traditional methods, allowing for the rapid completion of essential repairs that previously took years. The program's use of local contractors and small businesses has also improved support for the local construction workforce. Despite substantial benefits, the Department of Education has repeatedly delayed issuing the new Requests for Proposals that are essential to the program's continuation, risking a disruption or cessation of services. This measure seeks to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of the Job Order Contracting program to safeguard its role in improving learning environments statewide.

Your Committees acknowledge the concerns raised in the public hearing on this measure that, while the Job Order Contracting program has been incredibly successful, information on its existence and uses has not been equitably distributed to all school leadership. As a result, many principals were unaware of this expedited repair pathway or have expressed confusion regarding which school facility repair projects may qualify for the program and how it could be utilized. This likely reduced the program's productivity as some projects went unreported or were not actively pursued. Your Committees also note that offering school leadership more direct access to the Job Order Contracting program, without the Office of Facilities and Operations as its arbiter, may further expedite repair timelines by simplifying the process and empowering principals. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address these matters.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that requests the Department of Education to:

(A) Streamline its school-initiated facility repair project system, including by providing principals with direct access to the Job Order Contracting program; and

(B) Conduct outreach and issue guidance to educate principals on the Job Order Contracting program and all available options to request the completion of school facility repair projects;

(2) Requesting that the Department of Education also include in its report to the Legislature:

(A) Information on its activities to improve principals' comprehension of the Job Order Contracting program, its functions, and their roles in facilitating school facility repair projects, including the number of trainings conducted; and

(B) An assessment of how lump sum funds may be established and integrated with the Job Order Contracting program to empower principals to independently address small facility repair projects at the school-level;

(3) Amending the individuals entitled to receipt of a certified copy of this measure; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 189, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 189, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Government Operations,

________________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair

________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair