HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1352

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to education.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Act 167, Session Laws of Hawaii 2010 (Act 167), mandated school years of one hundred eighty instructional days at all public schools, beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.  The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that students receive the amount of instructional time necessary for their academic success.  However, the legislature finds that this requirement presents unique challenges for multi-track schools, which have at least one group of students on vacation at any given time to address overcrowding in communities with large student populations.  Students at multi-track schools are divided into separate tracks in which each group of students occupies the limited school facilities at different times.

     The legislature finds that for multi-track schools to continue undertaking creative solutions to address school overcrowding and insufficient classroom space, an exception from the minimum school instructional days requirement should be made while still requiring multi-track schools to achieve the same minimum instructional hours as other public schools.

     The purpose of this Act is to allow multi-track schools to meet the minimum number of instructional hours required of all public schools, regardless of the amount of instructional days provided.

     SECTION 2.  Section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:

     "(a)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, for the 2011-2013 school years[, all]:

     (1)  All public schools, except charter schools[,] and multi-track 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:

    [(1)] (A)  Nine hundred fifteen student instructional hours for the elementary school grades; and

    [(2)] (B)  Nine hundred ninety student instructional hours for the secondary school grades[.]; and

     (2)  All multi-track schools shall implement a school year of at least:

         (A)  Nine hundred fifteen student instructional hours for the elementary school grades; and

         (B)  Nine hundred ninety student instructional hours for the secondary school grades.

     (b)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, for the 2013-2015 school years[, all]:

     (1)  All public schools, except charter schools[,] and multi-track 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 instructional hours for both elementary and secondary school grades[.]; and

     (2)  All multi-track schools shall implement a school year of at least one thousand eighty student instructional hours for both elementary and secondary school grades."

     SECTION 3.  Act 167, Session Laws of Hawaii 2010, is amended by amending section 4 to read as follows:

     "SECTION 4.  The department of education [shall], 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 session of 2012, a plan to implement a school year of one hundred ninety days, excluding professional development days and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that shall include one thousand one hundred forty student instructional hours for both elementary and secondary school grades at all public schools, except charter schools[,] and multi-track schools, for school years beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.

     For purposes of this section, "student instructional hours" shall have the same meaning as in section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised Statutes."

     SECTION 4.  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 session of 2012, a plan to implement a school year of              student instructional hours for both elementary and secondary school grades at all public multi-track schools, for school years beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.

     For purposes of this section, "student instructional hours" shall have the same meaning as in section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     SECTION 5.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Public Schools; Multi-Track Schools; Minimum Instructional Days and Hours

 

Description:

Eliminates the minimum instructional days requirement for multi-track schools, but maintains the minimum instructional hours requirement.

 

 

 

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