STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2095

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2751

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2751 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to improve charter school administration by:

     (1)  Prohibiting the Board of Education member on the Charter School Review Panel (Panel) to sit on appeals from the Panel's decisions;

     (2)  Authorizing the Board of Education to remove a Panel member for cause;

     (3)  Requiring the Charter School Administrative Office to be represented by an assigned deputy attorney general, separate from counsel for the Board of Education;

     (4)  Requiring submission to and approval of the charter school budget by the Panel;

     (5)  Authorizing the Charter School Administrative Office to submit a capital improvement projects budget for charter school facilities to the Department of Budget and Finance, subject to approval by the Panel;

     (6)  Excluding fringe benefits, special education, and federal funding from the per-pupil appropriation to charter schools;

     (7)  Specifying the duties of the Executive Director of the Charter School Administrative Office with regard to the preparation of the budget; and

     (8)  Clarifying that the Panel is subject to the requirements of the Sunshine law.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Office of the Governor and Kamehameha Schools.  Comments on the measure were also submitted by the Board of Education.

     Your Committee finds that charter schools within the State play an important role in providing Hawaii's families with additional options for obtaining a quality public school education.  Pursuant to Act 298, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, the Legislature sought to improve the charter school system by adopting proposals recommended by the Task Force on Charter School Governance that was established by Act 87, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005.  Subsequently, the Legislature continued with efforts to provide for the efficient operations of charter schools within the State, pursuant to Act 115, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007.  This measure signifies the Legislature's continued efforts to improve charter school administration by ensuring the existence of fair and streamlined processes and by clarifying the duties and authority of the Department of Education and Board of Education as the State Education Agency.  Your Committee believes that this measure will assist the charter schools and the Board of Education by providing further clarity and guidance in charter school administration.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     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. 2751, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2751, 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,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair