REPORT TITLE:
New Century Charter Schools


DESCRIPTION:
Requires the auditor to consider the advice of local school
boards, rather than the superintendent, in setting the allocation
for new century charter schools.  Appropriates funds for the
establishment of 22 additional new century charter schools,
including the hiring of additional school personnel.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           2218
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO NEW CENTURY CHARTER SCHOOLS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the department of
 
 2 education recently demonstrated its willingness and ability to be
 
 3 flexible and forward thinking by making a wholehearted commitment
 
 4 to, and putting its unconditional support behind, greater local
 
 5 school autonomy through the new century charter school program.
 
 6 To ensure the success of local school autonomy and to lay the
 
 7 foundation for the State's future--a future that is dependent on
 
 8 the soundness of the kindergarten to grade twelve education
 
 9 system--the legislature declares that:
 
10      (1)  There should be an increase in the operating budget of
 
11           the department of education to establish an additional
 
12           twenty-two new century charter schools; and
 
13      (2)  Financial support for charter schools should not be
 
14           less than the average allocation for all other public
 
15           schools.
 
16      SECTION 2.  Section 302A-1185, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
17 amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:
 
18      "(a)  New century charter schools shall receive an
 
19 allocation of state general funds based upon the operational and
 

 
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 1 educational funding requirements of the schools; provided that:
 
 2      (1)  Beginning in fiscal year 1999-2000, and every year
 
 3           thereafter, the auditor shall determine the appropriate
 
 4           allocation based on the total department general fund
 
 5           appropriation and per pupil expenditure for the
 
 6           previous year; provided that in setting the allocation,
 
 7           the auditor shall explicitly consider the advice of the
 
 8           [superintendent] local school board and indicate in the
 
 9           final determination the manner in which that advice was
 
10           accommodated;
 
11      (2)  Small schools shall be given a state subsidy or small
 
12           school allotment to augment the per pupil allocation
 
13           given; provided that if additional federal grant moneys
 
14           are received, the auditor shall determine the
 
15           appropriate portion of the federal grant moneys to be
 
16           used to offset the small school allotment; provided
 
17           further that the federal grant moneys shall not include
 
18           federal impact aid;
 
19      (3)  The auditor shall take into consideration any changes
 
20           to the department's budget made by the legislature or
 
21           the governor and any applicable collective bargaining
 
22           negotiated amounts; and
 
23      (4)  The allocation for self-contained special education
 

 
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 1           students and for other special education students shall
 
 2           be adjusted appropriately to reflect the additional
 
 3           expenses incurred for students in these programs;
 
 4           provided that any increment to the per pupil allocation
 
 5           made in this paragraph shall not exceed [that] the
 
 6           increment available to all other public schools.
 
 7      (b)  [All] The per pupil allocation of federal and other
 
 8 financial support for new century charter schools shall be no
 
 9 less than the average per pupil allocation for all other public
 
10 schools[;], excluding charter schools and public schools for
 
11 exceptional children, but including charter schools for
 
12 exceptional children; provided that if administrative services
 
13 are provided to the charter school by the department, the school
 
14 shall reimburse the department for the actual costs of the
 
15 administrative services in an amount that does not exceed six and
 
16 one-half per cent of the school's allocation.
 
17      Any new century charter school shall be eligible to receive
 
18 any supplementary financial grant or award for which any other
 
19 public school may submit a proposal, or any supplemental federal
 
20 grants limited to new century charter schools; provided that if
 
21 department administrative services, including funds management,
 
22 budgetary, fiscal accounting, or other related services, are
 
23 provided with respect to these supplementary grants, the charter
 

 
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 1 school shall reimburse the department for the actual costs of the
 
 2 administrative services in an amount that does not exceed six and
 
 3 one-half per cent of the supplementary grant for which the
 
 4 services are used.
 
 5      All additional funds that are generated by the local school
 
 6 board not from a supplementary grant shall be separate and apart
 
 7 from allotted funds [[]and[]] may be expended at the discretion
 
 8 of the local school board."
 
 9      SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
10 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $       , or so much
 
11 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001, to
 
12 establish twenty-two additional new century charter schools.  The
 
13 sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education
 
14 for the purposes of this section, including the hiring of
 
15 additional school personnel but excluding personnel who transfer
 
16 to a new century charter school from another school or from the
 
17 department of education.
 
18      SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
19 New statutory material is underscored.
 
20      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000, and
 
21 shall apply to new century charter schools beginning with the
 
22 2000-2001 school year.
 
23 
 
24                           INTRODUCED BY:_________________________
 

 
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