STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3531

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2205

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2205, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to refine the governance of public charter schools.

     Specifically, this measure:

(1)  Prohibits public charter school authorizers from providing technical support to prospective charter school applicants or their governing boards when that technical support will impact a decision to approve or deny a charter application;

(2)  Establishes meeting minutes requirements for charter schools and their governing boards;

(3)  Provides nonprofit organizations acting in the role of a conversion charter school governing board with the same protections afforded to other governing boards;

(4)  Authorizes charter schools to assess and collect special fees and charges for co-curricular activities; and

(5)  Allows a conversion charter school to establish its own enrollment procedures and apply certain enrollment preferences.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the State Public Charter School Commission and the Governing Board of Kanu o ka Aina.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from Kamehameha Schools.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Public Charter Schools Network.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will improve consideration of charter school applications by prohibiting public charter school authorizers from providing technical support to charter school applicants and their governing boards, which will help to ensure neutrality in the decision to approve or deny the application.  Your Committee further finds that establishing more defined requirements for the posting of public charter school meeting minutes will also help to ensure transparency and accountability in the decisions made by public charter school governing boards.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2016.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2205, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2205, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair