STAND. COM. REP. NO. 155

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1215

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1215 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 create a charter schools food service special fund and appropriate funds to meet the food service needs of the State's 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 Schools Network, Kamehameha Schools, and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of the Attorney General.

 

     Your Committee finds that operational costs for facilities is one of the greatest challenges facing Hawaii public charter schools.  Food service facilities, in particular, are lacking in many public charter schools.  Additional support is necessary to develop adequate food service facilities to deliver school meals to public charter school students.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adopting amendments proposed by the Department of the Attorney General to remove:

 

          (A)  Language authorizing the allocation of general obligation bonds irrespective of whether a specific project or purpose has been provided for in a legislative act;

 

          (B)  Language requiring that monies appropriated for capital improvements for facilities for public charter schools be considered expended upon deposit into the charter schools food service special fund; and

 

          (C)  Language requiring the deposit of proceeds of any general obligation bonds to be deposited into the food service special fund;

 

     (2)  Allowing, rather than mandating, the State Public Charter School Commission to allocate funds based on the working group's recommendations and clarifying that the working group's role is advisory; and

 

     (3)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     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 S.B. No. 1215, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1215, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair