STAND. COM. REP. NO. 172

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 912

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 912 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:

(1) Allow charter schools to use appropriated funds for facilities improvement, rental, and construction, as well as other infrastructure improvements; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the State Public Charter School Commission to allocate to charter schools for facilities and infrastructure improvements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Public Charter School Commission, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Kamehameha Schools, and Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus.

Your Committee finds that facilities funding is the greatest financial burden upon public charter schools. As a result, many charter schools improvise by using temporary structures for instruction. By providing resources for facilities and infrastructure improvements, these public charter schools can continue to provide quality education in facilities that help to ensure the financial, academic, and organizational health of public charter schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 912, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 912, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair