Bill Text: HI HCR15 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Charter schools; multiple authorizers; task force

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 6-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-31 - (H) Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 5 [HCR15 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-HCR15-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	15
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Establishes the Multiple Charter School Authorizer Task force to Develop a strategic, integrated, and comprehensive plan to integrate multiple charter school authorizers into Hawaii's charter school law.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, charter schools are public schools that operate with less regulation, giving parents an opportunity to choose a school they believe is more suitable for their children's education; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are 31 charter schools in Hawai`i with an enrollment of around 8,200 students; and

 

     WHEREAS, the growth of charter schools is limited due to a cap that only allows for authorization of up to three new charter schools upon the accreditation of one existing charter school for three or more years; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawai`i's charter schools are in high demand with more than 3,000 prospective students on waiting lists and not enough room to accommodate them; and

 

     WHEREAS, charter school authorizers are entities charged by law to approve new schools, monitor their compliance with applicable laws, and regulations, and evaluate their performance to make decisions about charter renewal and closure; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawai`i has one authorizer, the Charter School Review Panel, made up of twelve members representing various constituencies in Hawai`i's education community, and is appointed by and under the oversight of the Board of Education; and

 

     WHEREAS, multiple authorizers is the term given to entities other than local school boards that have authority under state law to approve charter schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, allowing multiple authorizers grant various groups a broader range of paths to obtaining a charter, brings the resources of outside entities and organizations, and helps ensure accountability through a strong authorizer school relationship; and

 

     WHEREAS, the National Alliance For Public Charter Schools, a leading national organization dedicated to advancing the charter school movement advocates for multiple authorizers as reflected in its Model Law; and

 

     WHEREAS, of the forty states with charter school laws, twenty-one allow multiple authorizers; and

 

     WHEREAS, the implementation of multiple authorizers in Hawaii requires more study on implementation and integration into Hawaii's unique one school district state; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Multiple Charter School Authorizer Task Force be created to:

 

(1)  Develop a strategic, integrated, and comprehensive plan to integrate multiple authorizers into Hawaii's charter school law; and

 

(2)  Determine organization or institutions that would be granted chartering authority; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force consist of seven members as follows; and

 

     (1)  One member appointed by the Governor;

 

     (2)  One member appointed by the Speaker of the House;

 

     (3)  One member appointed by the President of the Senate;

 

 

     (4)  The Executive Director of the Charter School Network

or the Director's designee;

 

(5)  The President of the University of Hawaii or the President's designee;

 

(6)  The President of Kamehameha Schools or the President's designee; and

 

(7)  The Executive Director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools or the Director's designee; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Multiple Charter School Authorizer Task Force is requested to collaborate with interested stakeholders, including the Department of Education, the Charter School Administrative Office, and the Hawaii State Teachers Association; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Multiple Charter School Authorizer Task Force submit a report of its findings, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Executive Director of the Charter School Network, the President of the University of Hawaii, the President of Kamehameha Schools, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.

 

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________
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Report Title: 

Charter schools; multiple authorizers; task force