STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2328

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2589

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2589 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Education to make available vacant school facilities or portions of school facilities for use by charter schools and to require the Charter School Review Panel to review and approve or deny applications to use vacant school facilities or portions of school facilities.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency, two organizations, and one individual.  Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that, when the Department of Education closes non-charter public schools due to financial constraints or other reasons, those available spaces are school-safe and ready for use by public charter schools, and do not require the charter schools to conduct expensive conversion of non-school facilities to add food service facilities, libraries, health rooms, and libraries.  Additionally, the amendments proposed in this measure will allow charter schools to expend their much-needed funds on curriculum and learning, rather than on facility-related costs.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifically allowing all or portions of the facilities to be used; and

     (2)  Directing the Charter School Review Panel to compile a prioritized list of charter schools wishing to use the public school facilities.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2589, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2589, 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 and Housing,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair