Legislative Bills to Improve 
School Building Processes Continue Moving Forward

Two bills continue to move forward in this legislative session to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase transparency and accountability in school building processes. SB2024 SD1 HD1 and SB2550 SD1 HD1 seek to raise the bar even higher, broadening the scope of responsibilities for the Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority (SFA).

SB 2024 SD1 HD1

SB 2024 SD1 HD1, which authorizes the School Facilities Authority (SFA) to use public-private partnerships (P3s) for the development of public school facilities—including facilities for public charter schools—was passed by the House Finance Committee on April 7, 2026 and continues to move through the legislative process.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser highlighted the SFA and the P3 bill in its April 6, 2026 article, “Construction bill advances amid support, labor concerns.” Under the bill, the SFA would solicit proposals from developers through a competitive process, evaluating projects based on cost savings, community need, design quality, and speed of delivery. The pilot program would run through 2028, with interim and final reports to the Legislature to assess whether the approach should be expanded.



Executive Director Riki Fujitani stated, “We cannot build schools the old way. They are too expensive and too slow.” He explained that a P3 project could deliver a school for a fraction of the cost of a traditional school build, which has been estimated at up to $200 million.

Support for the bill comes from the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission and from Hawaiʻi Tech Academy, one of the fastest-growing charter schools in the state. Historically, Hawaiʻi charter schools have struggled with access to facilities and related resources, as facilities funding is generally not included—unlike for Hawaiʻi Department of Education schools.

Concerns have been raised by the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), which has questioned the track record of the SFA given the agency’s relative newness. While the agency is relatively new, it is actively advancing complex projects, including public-private partnerships for workforce housing, demonstrating its capacity to manage and deliver large-scale initiatives.



It is also important to note that the SFA was established specifically to bring focused expertise and a new approach to school facilities development. Its intent is not to replicate existing systems, but to improve upon them by increasing efficiency and expanding delivery options.

The United Public Workers (UPW) has also expressed concern that public-private partnerships could lead to the privatization of work traditionally performed by state employees. While this is a valid concern, the extent to which work is performed by the public or private sector depends on how each P3 is structured. With careful planning, it is possible to design projects that maintain public-sector roles and contracts while still leveraging private-sector efficiencies to accelerate project delivery.

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SB2550 SD1 HD1

SB2550 SD1 HD1, which requires the School Facilities Authority (SFA) to establish a statewide school modernization initiative through a capital improvement project planning database, continues to move through the legislative process.

As reflected in the SFA’s testimony, Hawaiʻi’s public school system faces significant and growing capital pressures. In the absence of a comprehensive planning framework, school facilities decisions are often made on a project-by-project basis rather than through a coordinated and transparent statewide strategy.

To address this, the bill proposes that the SFA establish a statewide school modernization initiative supported by a centralized planning database. Information would be organized by legislative district and complex area and made publicly available on the authority’s website. Using this data, the SFA would identify, assess, and prioritize school facilities projects through a structured classification system, including projects addressing critical infrastructure, capacity needs, functional adequacy, and compliance with federal and state laws.

Support for the bill comes from the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association (HSTA) and HCAN Speaks! (the advocacy arm of the Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network), both of which recognize the need for statewide, transparent data on school facilities' needs.

The Department of Education has expressed concerns that these planning functions should remain within the Department. The SFA recognizes the Department’s central role in identifying facility needs and managing school operations, and the proposal is not intended to diminish that role. Rather, the bill reflects the need for a consistent, statewide framework to organize and evaluate facilities data across all districts and complex areas. While planning activities currently occur within the Department, establishing a centralized and transparent database through the SFA provides an opportunity to align information in a uniform manner and improve accessibility for policymakers and the public.