STAND. COM. REP. NO.505

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1597

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1597 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a noncontiguous Hawaiian charter school district.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Halau Lokahi Public Charter School, Ka 'Umeke Ka'eo Public Charter School, Halau Ku Mana New Century Public Charter School, Kanu o ka 'Aina New Century Charter School, Na Lei Na'auao Native Hawaiian Charter School Alliance, HGEA-AFSCME, and Kanu o ka 'Aina NCPCS, and sixty-eight individuals. Testimony in opposition was received from the Board of Education (BOE).

This measure establishes a separate school district comprised of Hawaiian focused charter schools, with local educational agency status to qualify for federal funding. The school district would be independent of and not subject to the control or authority of the Department of Education (DOE), BOE, or Superintendent of Education. The school district would be monitored by an eight-member Hawaiian charter school council to be appointed by the Governor. The council would be a second chartering agency under the BOE. Funding would be provided by a flat per-pupil allocation to be provided by legislative appropriation and also by federal funding. Up to twenty-five schools may be established as Hawaiian focused charter schools.

This measure is intended to provide Hawaiian focused charter schools with a degree of independence and autonomy from the DOE and BOE, without compromise to educational quality or school funding. There currently exists the Na Lei Na'auao, a native Hawaiian charter school alliance to collaborate on the creation of a Hawaiian school district based on the unique needs of each community. According to testimony, the alliance has brought in millions of dollars in grants to Hawaii and has initiated a teacher education program.

Your Committees are satisfied from the testimony of Hawaiian charter school students, parents, and administrators that this measure is warranted and is in the best interests of Hawaiian students, who seem to do very well academically and socially in these schools. Your Committees' passage of this measure is not a reflection on the DOE or the BOE. It is simply the right thing to do. Your Committees are particularly convinced by the testimony that many Hawaiian students in these schools might otherwise not perform well at traditional schools.

Your Committees note that there is another measure related to charter schools, S.B. No. 1700, which has also been passed by the Education Committee, and your Committees agree that provisions in each measure will need to be amended prior to their final passage to assure there is no conflict in laws should both measures pass.

Your Committees have amended this measure by changing the expending agency for the appropriation from the Department of Accounting and General Services to the Department of Education, and making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1597, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1597, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair