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SB2181
THE SENATE
S.B. NO.
2181
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to education
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION 1.
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The
legislature finds that, according to education studies of public school
performance across the United States, Hawaii student performance ranks in the
middle or close to the bottom in comparison to other states.
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The State also requires fewer instructional
hours at public schools.
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The legislature also finds that low student
performance is correlated with less time in the classroom.
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For example, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon,
and Rhode Island are the states with the fewest public school instructional
hours while also having low student performance.
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States with higher performing public schools
have higher instructional hours compared to Hawaii.
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The legislature further finds that research
shows expanding school instructional time can increase student achievement. Studies
also show that students with more school days between assessments made larger
achievement gains than peers with fewer days, reinforcing the link between
instructional time and achievement.
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Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to
increase required public school instructional hours beginning with the
2027-2028 school year.
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SECTION
2.
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Section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
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"
�302A-251
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School year; student hours.
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(a)
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Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, beginning with the 2011-2013 school years, all public schools,
excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a
school year of one hundred eighty days, excluding professional development days
and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89.
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(b)
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Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary:
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(1)
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For the 2011-2012 school year, fifty
per cent of all public elementary schools in the State, excluding charter
schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year that
includes nine hundred fifteen student hours; and
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(2)
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Beginning with the 2012-2013 school
year, all public elementary schools in the State, excluding charter schools and
multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year that includes nine
hundred fifteen student hours.
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(c)
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Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, for the 2015-2016 school year, all public secondary schools,
excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a
school year that includes nine hundred ninety student hours.
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(d)
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Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, all public schools,
excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a
school year of one hundred eighty days, excluding professional development days
and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89, that shall
include one thousand eighty student hours for both elementary and secondary
school grades.
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(e)
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Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, all public schools,
excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a
school year of one hundred eighty days, excluding professional development days
and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89, that shall
include one thousand two hundred student hours for both elementary and
secondary school grades.
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[
(e)
]
(f)
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The board, in its discretion,
may grant a waiver to any individual school subject to the student hours or one
hundred eighty day school year requirements in this section.
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The board shall adopt policies and procedures
to grant a waiver under this subsection.
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[
(f)
]
(g)
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For purposes of this section,
"student hours" shall be inclusive of the full school day in
alignment with the State's general learner outcomes.
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[
(g)
]
(h)
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The department of education,
with the board of education and office of the governor, and in consultation
with representatives of the affected collective bargaining units, shall submit
to the legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the
regular sessions of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, a report on its progress and
efforts to meet the requirements of subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d)."
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SECTION 3.
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Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.
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New statutory material is underscored.
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SECTION 4.
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This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Education;
Instructional Hours; Student Performance; Student Improvement; Public Schools
Description:
Increases
required public school instructional hours beginning in the 2027-2028 school
year.
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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.