STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3168

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 154

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 154 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A STUDY ON THE PER-PUPIL FUNDING SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SYSTEM FULFILLS ITS STATUTORY PURPOSE OF EQUALIZING OPERATIONAL FUNDING AMONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on the per-pupil funding system to determine whether the system fulfills its statutory purpose of equalizing operational funding among public schools, with assistance from the State Public Charter School Commission.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Public Charter School Commission, Hawaii Educational Policy Center, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Public Charter School Network, Ke Kula ‘o Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School, and one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committee finds that public charter schools in Hawaii receive the majority of their funding through general fund appropriations based on a general fund per-pupil allotment.  This allotment is based on a formula that adds up the total funding allocated to certain programs within the Department of Education and then distributes monies based on reasonable projected enrollment figures for each public charter school.  Under existing law, non-facility general fund per-pupil funding for public charter schools must be the same as the general fund per-pupil amount provided to the Department of Education in its most recently approved executive budget.  Your Committee further finds that a study on the per-pupil funding system for public charter schools should involve the participation of more entities and organizations, including the Department of Education, Hawaii Education Policy Center, and Hawaii Public Charter School Network.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requesting the Department of Education to also provide to the Legislative Reference Bureau the same information that is requested from the State Public Charter School Commission and for that information to be received by the Legislative Reference Bureau by the same date;

     (2)  Broadening the scope of the information requested from the Department of Education and State Public Charter School Commission to include details of the present system of funding for public charter schools;

     (3)  Requesting that the Hawaii Education Policy Center and Hawaii Public Charter School Network also provide information and assistance to the Legislative Reference Bureau; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 154, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 154, S.D. 1.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair