STAND. COM. REP. NO. 32-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2403

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2403 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Education to provide funding for charter schools.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Office of Hawaii Affairs; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; and CARES.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Education is required to provide proportional funding to charter schools based on their student enrollment. Your Committee notes that, even though the overall enrollment for the Department of Education has gone up from the 2023 to 2024 school year, the growth rate for public charter schools has grown even faster at four percent higher than projected. One factor that explains the sudden increased public charter school enrollment is the growing need for temporary school options in Lahaina because of the destruction incurred by the devastating wildfires. Although there is an increase in charter school enrollment, the amount of funding for charter schools is less than what is required. This measure seeks to make an emergency appropriation to provide funds to the Department of Education to cover its funding requirements for charter schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $6,600,000.

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 H.B. No. 2403, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2403, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair