STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1656-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 2719

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2719, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve Hawaii's charter school system by adopting many of the priority proposals developed by the Task Force on Charter School Governance that was established by Act 87, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005. Among other things, this bill:

(1) Provides consistency and clarity for statutes relating to the administration and governance of charter schools by recodifying and reorganizing the statutes into a new chapter;

(2) Renames the Charter School Review Panel as the Charter School Oversight Panel, and more clearly specifies its powers;

(3) Changes the limit on the number of charter schools that may be established;

(4) Creates clarity in the establishment of start-up and conversion charter schools;

(5) Enhances and clarifies the powers and duties of the Charter School Administrative Office (CSAO) and its executive director;

(6) Clarifies civil service provisions for charter school employees; and

(7) Clarifies collective bargaining provisions for charter school employees.

The Department of Human Resources Development supported this bill. The Hawaii State Teachers Association and Ho`okako`o Corporation supported the intent of this measure. The Office of the Auditor opposed this bill in part. The Office of the Governor, Board of Education, Department of Education, CSAO, and Hawaii Government Employees Association offered comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2719, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

		____________________________ DWIGHT TAKAMINE, Chair