SR 184 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP A PROPOSAL FOR A TIERED, COORDINATED, AND STANDARDIZED BELL SCHEDULE FRAMEWORK FOR DEPARTMENT SCHOOLS.

This Senate Resolution asks Hawaii's Department of Education to create a standardized bell schedule framework for all public schools in the state. The proposal aims to address current inconsistencies in school start and end times that create challenges for families, transportation planning, and coordination with community programs. The framework would organize schedules by school level - elementary, middle, and high school - while allowing local flexibility within state instructional hour requirements. The Department of Education is directed to consult with school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and transportation providers during the development process.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action May 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SR184 → SR184_SD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to reflect a shift from a direct request for a standardized schedule to a request for a 'proposal' for a tiered, coordinated, and standardized framework. This change introduces a new requirement for the Department of Education to submit this proposal to the Legislature by March 2027, ensuring the plan is vetted before implementation in the next session. The text also clarifies that school-level flexibility exists but must be balanced with state-wide coordination goals.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a simple mandate for standardization to a more nuanced approach that acknowledges local flexibility while requiring a formal proposal process for state-wide coordination.

REQUIREMENT

The core request changed from developing a 'standardized bell schedule framework' directly to developing a 'proposal for a tiered, coordinated, and standardized framework'.

The legislative findings were rewritten to first acknowledge that schools currently have flexibility to set their own schedules, before noting the operational inefficiencies caused by this lack of standardization.

A new clause was added requesting the Department to consider coordinating noninstructional waiver days across schools.

TIMELINE

A new requirement was added for the Department of Education to submit its proposal to the Legislature no later than thirty days prior to the convening of the 2027 Regular Session.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1).

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3517) with recommendation of adoption, as amended (SD 1).

upper

Apr 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Kidani, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fukunaga.

upper

Apr 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 04-06-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDU.

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

Offered.

upper

4 primary · 2 co-sponsors