STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2973

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2453

       H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2453, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate monies for start-up grants for new pre-opening public charter schools.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Public Charter School Commission, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii Public Charter School Network, and Kamehameha Schools.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association and IMUAlliance.

 

     Your Committee finds that certain Department of Education schools operate at full or near-full capacity, and struggle with severe overcrowding on campuses.  These conditions make it difficult for such schools to provide an effective learning environment for their students.  Newly approved pre-opening charter schools that meet the priority needs identified by the State Public Charter School Commission could help alleviate the overcrowding in certain non-charter public schools, but the start-up costs associated with opening a school are often prohibitively high.  Start-up grants would facilitate approved pre-opening schools absorbing those high start-up costs and consequently benefit all of Hawaii's public school students.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2453, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

 

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair