SB1390 changes the deadline for the Hawaii Department of Education’s annual computer science legislative report. Under current law, the superintendent must submit the report by June 30 each year; this bill moves that deadline to October 31, beginning in 2025 and continuing each year thereafter. The stated reason for the change is to allow the department to include fourth-quarter school data, which it says would make the report more complete and useful.
The report itself remains focused on computer science offerings in Hawaii schools. It must continue to list the computer science courses and course codes offered at each school, student enrollment in those courses, and the number of instructors, with data disaggregated by gender, race and ethnicity, special education status, English learner status, free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, and grade level. It also continues to require information on courses that contain computer science content and the standards covered, while preserving the small-number privacy protection that substitutes a symbol when a category has one to five students.
In practical terms, the bill does not change the substance of the reporting requirements or create new program mandates; it only changes the timing of an existing statutory report under section 302A-323 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. The main legal effect is to amend the annual due date for the Department of Education’s computer science report from June 30 to October 31, which may give the department more time to compile complete school-year data before submitting it to the board and legislature.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears favorable and noncontroversial. In the Senate Education Committee, the measure passed with amendments by a 5-0 vote, suggesting broad support for the administrative change. The discussion context provided does not show opposition or debate, and the bill’s stated purpose is narrowly framed as improving the completeness of the report rather than altering policy direction.
Any potential point of contention would likely be limited to whether delaying the report could reduce the timeliness of legislative oversight, but no such objection appears in the available record. The bill’s supporters appear to prioritize more complete data, while the committee vote indicates little resistance to giving the Department of Education additional time to include fourth-quarter information.
Impact
SB1390 amends section 302A-323(e), Hawaii Revised Statutes, to change the deadline for the Department of Education’s annual computer science legislative report from June 30 to October 31. The bill affects the superintendent’s reporting obligation to the board and legislature but does not alter the report’s required contents, privacy protections, or underlying computer science education requirements. Its practical impact is to give the department more time to compile and include additional school-year data, especially fourth-quarter information.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively and without significant controversy. The Senate Education Committee passed it with amendments on a 5-0 vote, indicating unanimous support among those voting. The available materials frame the change as a technical improvement to reporting quality rather than a substantive policy dispute.
Contention
There is little evidence of major contention in the available record. The only conceivable concern is that moving the report deadline from June 30 to October 31 could delay legislative access to the annual data, but the bill’s rationale is that the later date will allow inclusion of fourth-quarter information and produce a more complete report. No opposing arguments or stakeholder objections are reflected in the provided transcripts or vote history.