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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
116 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE 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.
WHEREAS, Hawaii's public charter schools are a part of the state public education system and contribute to that system as a whole by providing alternative educational options and modeling innovative practices; and
WHEREAS, each public charter school is a single state entity, self-governed by a volunteer governing board, independently managed, and primarily dependent on state funding in order to operate; and
WHEREAS, charter schools receive the majority of their funding through general fund appropriations based on a general fund per-pupil allotment, which is based on a formula that adds up the total funding allocated to certain programs within the Department of Education and then distributes moneys based on reasonable projected enrollment figures for each public charter school; and
WHEREAS, section 302D-28, Hawaii Revised Statutes, mandates that the non-facility general fund per-pupil funding for public charter school students be the same as the general fund per-pupil amount provided to the Department of Education in its most recently approved executive budget; and
WHEREAS, questions have been raised about whether the per-pupil funding system equalizes funding for public charter schools as intended; and
WHEREAS, public charter schools must also meet other expenses, including, for example, facility costs; and
WHEREAS, the State Public Charter School Commission has warned in its annual reports that financial data from the public charter schools reveal both short-term financial strain as well as long-term operational sustainability challenges; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested 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; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that by June 30, 2016, the State Public Charter School Commission is requested to provide specific data to the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing how the present system of funding fails to achieve its statutory purpose of equalizing funding, to permit the Bureau to target its study and complete it in a timely manner; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Public Charter School Commission is requested to provide other information and assistance as requested by the Bureau; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the State Public Charter School Commission, and the Executive Director of the State Public Charter School Commission.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Public Charter Schools; Per-Pupil Funding; Study; Legislative Reference Bureau