CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 21

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2011

RE:    S.B. No. 1485

       S.D. 1

       H.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1485, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RECONSTITUTING 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 authorize the Superintendent of Education to:

     (1)  Reconstitute a public school, except a charter school, after certain considerations have been made, that has been in restructuring for four or more school years and has not made significant advances toward improving academic performance; and

     (2)  Recommend to the Charter School Review Panel actions that should be taken to reconstitute a charter school that has been in restructuring for four or more school years or recommend that the charter school's charter be revoked.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that this measure is necessary to allow the Superintendent to reconstitute low performing schools and to meet various reform assurances made under No Child Left Behind and in Hawaii's Race to the Top grant application.  This measure will also demonstrate the State's commitment to the transformative education reforms outlined in its Race to the Top grant application.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by making this measure effective upon approval.

     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. 1485, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1485, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Co-Chair	____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair
____________________________ MARILYN B. LEE, Co-Chair	____________________________ MICHELLE KIDANI, Co-Chair