Hawaii Senate Bill SR206

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/12/25

Caption

Requesting The Department Of Education To End The Practice Of Mandating That Certain Students Attend A School Outside Their Service Area.

Impact

This resolution aims to shift the educational policy by promoting local student assignments that align with their home school service areas. By addressing the problem of overcrowding directly, it suggests that students who should naturally belong to schools within their complex will enhance the distribution of student populations and alleviate stress on specific schools, which have been forced to adopt multi-tracked schedules.

Summary

Senate Resolution 206 calls for the Department of Education to discontinue the practice of mandating that certain students attend schools outside their designated service areas. The resolution highlights concerns over school overcrowding, which is noted to have detrimental effects on student achievement, attendance, teacher morale, and overall community cohesion. The Kapolei complex in Hawaii has notably faced issues with overcrowding, prompting the current mandatory reassignment policies that have contributed to this situation.

Contention

Multi-tracking, the alternative solution to overcrowding that has been implemented in some areas, divides students into multiple groups attending classes on different schedules throughout the year. Research cited in the resolution indicates that this system results in lower test scores and increased costs over time, along with damaging community ties. As such, while some officials may argue for multi-tracking as a temporary measure, the resolution asserts that it is not the most effective or beneficial long-term solution for educational outcomes.