REPORT TITLE:
School-Within-A-School


DESCRIPTION:
Amends chapter 302A, HRS, to allow establishment of a school-
within-a-school; provides governance, implementation, approval,
funding, and evaluation; exempts from most state laws and rules
unless otherwise provided by law.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        3035
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO SCHOOL-WITHIN-A-SCHOOL.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that academic achievement
 
 2 in small schools is significant.  There are many positive
 
 3 benefits for students in small schools, including improved
 
 4 student attitudes toward school and particular subjects; improved
 
 5 student social behavior; increased participation in
 
 6 extracurricular activities; more stable attendance records; and
 
 7 decreased number of drop outs.  In small schools there is a
 
 8 greater sense of belonging, and interpersonal relations between
 
 9 and among students, teachers, and administrators are more
 
10 positive.
 
11      Similar success can be achieved in school-within-a-school
 
12 environments if such a school is sufficiently separate, distinct,
 
13 and autonomous in its vision, culture, environment, and
 
14 administration.  The youth of Hawaii are one of this State's most
 
15 important resources for the future success of this State.  Thus,
 
16 the legislature finds that a school-within-a-school program is
 
17 conducive to a more positive learning environment in which public
 
18 school students have an opportunity to reach their maximum
 
19 potential in both personal and academic achievement.
 

 
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 1      The purpose of this Act is to establish a school-within-a-
 
 2 school program for Hawaii's public schools.
 
 3      SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 4 amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated
 
 5 and to read as follows:
 
 6      "§302A-    School-within-a-school program; establishment and
 
 7 administration.  (a)  A core group of public school teachers may
 
 8 establish a school-within-a-school.  The department shall develop
 
 9 incentives, including released time, for these self-selecting
 
10 core groups of teachers to permit them to design their own school
 
11 -within-a-school, and to enable them to continue weekly
 
12 collaborative sessions throughout the first year of their school-
 
13 within-a-school program's existence.  Unless otherwise provided
 
14 by law, a school-within-a-school shall be exempt from all
 
15 applicable state laws and rules, except those regarding
 
16 collective bargaining under chapter 89, compulsory education,
 
17 religious, racial, or sexual bias, and health and safety
 
18 requirements.
 
19      (b)  The core group shall establish a governing board
 
20 composed of, at a minimum, one representative from each of the
 
21 following participant groups:
 
22      (1)  Instructional staff of the school-within-a-school
 
23           selected by these instructional staff members;
 

 
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 1      (2)  Parents of students attending the school-within-a-
 
 2           school selected by the parents of these students; and
 
 3      (3)  Students attending the school-within-a-school selected
 
 4           by these students.
 
 5 The governing board may select a chief executive officer for the
 
 6 school-within-a-school.  The chief executive officer of the
 
 7 school-within-a-school shall consult and work collaboratively
 
 8 with the governing board, and shall have jurisdiction over the
 
 9 internal organization, operation, and management of the school-
 
10 within-a-school.
 
11      (c)  The governing board shall develop program-based
 
12 educational policies and goals in accordance with the statewide
 
13 student performance standards and a detailed implementation plan
 
14 that has been approved by three-fifths of the instructional staff
 
15 members and parents of the school-within-a-school.  The detailed
 
16 implementation plan shall include, but not be limited to, the
 
17 following:
 
18      (1)  A description of the alternative education model;
 
19      (2)  The specific student outcomes to be achieved;
 
20      (3)  The curriculum, instructional framework, and assessment
 
21           mechanisms to be used to achieve the student outcomes;
 
22      (4)  The governance structure of the school-within-a-school;
 
23      (5)  A facilities management plan; and
 

 
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 1      (6)  Annual financial and program audits.
 
 2      (d)  The board of education shall review the implementation
 
 3 plan for a school-within-a-school to assure that the plan
 
 4 complies with statewide student performance standards.  Unless
 
 5 the board of education finds that the plan conflicts with the
 
 6 statewide student performance standards, the plan shall become
 
 7 effective within thirty days after its submission.  If the board
 
 8 of education finds a conflict with the statewide student
 
 9 performance standards, the board of education shall notify the
 
10 governing board of the finding in writing to enable the governing
 
11 board to appropriately amend the plan to resolve the conflict.
 
12      §302A-    School-within-a-school; funding and evaluation of
 
13 programs.  (a)  Every school-within-a-school shall receive an
 
14 allocation of state general funds on a per student basis that is
 
15 equal to the statewide per pupil expenditure based on average
 
16 daily attendance; provided that the allocation for self-contained
 
17 special education students and other special education students
 
18 shall be adjusted appropriately to reflect the additional
 
19 expenses incurred for the students in these programs.  All
 
20 federal and other financial support for a school-within-a-school
 
21 shall be equal to all other public schools; provided that if
 
22 administrative services are provided to a school-within-a-school
 
23 by the department, the school-within-a-school shall reimburse the
 

 
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 1 department for the actual costs of the administrative services in
 
 2 an amount that does not exceed 6.5 per cent of the allocation for
 
 3 the school-within-a-school.  Any school-within-a-school shall be
 
 4 eligible to receive any financial grant or award for which any
 
 5 other public school may submit a proposal.  All additional funds
 
 6 that are generated by the governing board shall be considered
 
 7 supplementary and may be expended at the discretion of the
 
 8 governing board.
 
 9      (b)  The school-within-a-school shall conduct self-
 
10 evaluations annually.  The self-evaluation process shall include,
 
11 but not be limited to, the following:
 
12      (1)  The identification and adoption of benchmarks to
 
13           measure and evaluate administrative and instructional
 
14           programs; and
 
15      (2)  The impact upon the students of the school-within-a-
 
16           school.
 
17      (c)  The department shall evaluate each school-within-a-
 
18 school four years after its establishment to assure compliance
 
19 with the statewide student performance standards.  Upon a
 
20 determination by the board of education that student achievement
 
21 within a school-within-a-school does not meet the statewide
 
22 student performance standards, the board of education, upon a
 
23 two-thirds majority vote, may deny the continuation of the
 

 
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 1 school-within-a-school."
 
 2      SECTION 3.  Section 302A-101, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 3 amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted
 
 4 and to read as follows:
 
 5      ""School-within-a-school" means an alternative education
 
 6 model that includes curriculum and instructional approach; length
 
 7 of the school day, week, or year; and site-based management."
 
 8      SECTION 4.  New statutory material is underscored.
 
 9      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval. 
 
10 
 
11                           INTRODUCED BY:_________________________