CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. 124
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: S.B. No. 1700
S.D. 1
H.D. 2
C.D. 1
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1700, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS,"
having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.
The purpose of this measure is to establish a new methodology for funding charter schools.
Your Committee finds that this measure is a step forward in providing support to the charter school movement by clarifying the funding levels for charter schools and providing the charter schools with an administrative support structure separate from the Department of Education. Your Committee further believes that this measure reflects a level of increased collaboration between the Department of Education and the charter school community, which the legislature expects to continue and from which shall be formed an ongoing partnership working together in the best interests of all our public school students.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting all references to a separate EDN program identification code for charter school appropriations;
(2) Clarifying that beginning with the 2004-2005 fiscal year supplemental budget request, the charter schools shall submit to the board of education and the governor, a general fund budget request for consideration and appropriation by the legislature, based upon a per pupil formula that counts each regular and special education student, and which is based upon figures from the most recently published department of education consolidated annual financial report;
(3) Clarifying that any appropriations for charter schools may be restricted by the governor similar to appropriations to the department of education schools;
(4) Establishing a separate charter school administrative office responsible for the internal organization, operation, and management of the charter schools, including budget preparation and executing, allocation of annual appropriations, preparation and execution of contracts for services between the department of education and other state agencies, representation of the charter schools in communications with the board of education, the governor, and the legislature, and monitoring of legal compliance and support of the charter schools;
(5) Providing that the executive director of the charter school administrative office is appointed by the board of education upon recommendations from a charter school organization operating within the State, or from a list of nominees submitted by charter schools;
(6) Providing that education and related services of special education students enrolled in charter schools shall be provided by the charter schools within their abilities and resources, provided that the department of education shall provide the required services if the charter school is unable;
(7) Requiring the department of education to collaborate with the charter school administrative office to develop guidelines related to the provision of special education services and resources;
(8) Requiring the department of education to review the requirements of all special education students enrolled in charter schools and use a per pupil weighted formula implemented by the department to determine resource needs of special education students enrolled in charter schools;
(9) Authorizing the department of education to offer services to special education students enrolled in charter schools at a public school within the same school complex as the charter schools;
(10) Requiring the department of education to allocate $5,355 per regular and special education student enrolled in a charter school, for the fiscal year 2003-2004, with the allocations to divided into three payments of forty percent, forty percent, and twenty percent by January 1, 2004;
(11) Adding a severability clause; and
(12) Changing the effective date to upon approval, provided that the 2003-2004 allocations to charter schools shall be effective on July 1, 2003.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1700, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1700, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:
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ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE |
ON THE PART OF THE SENATE |
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____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Co-Chair |
____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair |
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____________________________ THOMAS WATERS, Co-Chair |
____________________________ RUSSELL KOKUBUN, Co-Chair |