State increases The state's 22 charter schools each will receive between $17,000 and $263,000 more for the current school year, the state auditor said yesterday.
funds allocated
to charter schools
Some school officials question
Judge rules against Hilo school
if they will get the money in timeBy Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.comAccording to auditor Marion Higa, the adjustment is up to $588 per student on Oahu and $567 per student on neighbor islands, bringing the per-pupil allocations to $3,585 and $3,564, respectively.
But charter school officials, who have been fighting for more equity in per-pupil funding, said the state is typically late in handing over money to charter schools, and they questioned when the funds would be received.
"It's one thing on paper to say we're getting $500 more; it's another to be in the bank account and be accessed," said Ku Kahakalau, director of Kanu O Ka Aina New Century Public Charter School on the Big Island.
"Once I can access the money I will have something positive to say," she said, adding that the state is seven months behind in giving charter schools its yearly share of a federal grant, which the schools had all "banked on," and some are taking out loans just to survive day to day. Now in the fourth quarter, the schools are still waiting to receive the remaining $997 from its original per-pupil allocation of $2,997.
Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto said she did not know when the schools would receive the additional funds, but said it would be done "as soon as possible."
"We just got (the figures) today, I received a copy today and we've already started working on it," she said.
Hawaii's charter schools are funded by state dollars but are free from most regulations except in areas like collective bargaining and health and safety. They remain accountable for student performance and funding through a contract or charter with the Board of Education.
"Any money that we get is good news, so I would really like to see it first," said John Thatcher, a teacher at Connections New Century Public Charter School, which is suing the state for failing to adequately provide for charter schools in areas like funding and facilities. Current funding, he said, is at a level "that almost ensures that we won't be in existence much longer."
The allocation to other public schools is based on the per-pupil cost of about $6,000, but department officials say that is deceiving because some of the money goes directly to other departments to pay for things like health benefits.
Higa said the funding increases take into account the amount of federal impact aid the department expects to receive, pay increases for teachers, as well as administrative functions the department wants to transfer to the charter schools.
"A large chunk of it is utilities, they're giving the schools the cash equivalent to go ahead and pay their own utility bills," Higa said.
Donna Estomago, principal of Lanikai Elementary School, said the increase her school will receive is still short of what the school needs because it is based on 310 students, which excludes the school's 48 special-education students, most of whom attend regular-education classes full time.
The per-pupil allocations don't include special education funding.
"We won't meet our bare bones budget if they hold us to 310," she said. "We have to be paid for at least half of our special-needs children because we have a complete enrollment of 358 at our schools."
Estomago also worried whether the funds granted to take over certain functions, including classroom cleaners and repair and maintenance, would be sufficient. "We are worried that it will cost us more money, that's what our fear is and I think it will be substantiated," she said.
Thatcher said by law charter schools have the right to negotiate what functions it wants to take over from the department. Higa said the per-pupil adjustments were made with that in mind, and the schools will have to work out the details with the department.
How allocations will be adjusted for Hawaii's 22 charter schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, based on student enrollment provided by the state Department of Education. Extra charter school dollars
Charter school Additional
allocationsTotal
allocationsConnections $176,904 $1.1 million The Education Laboratory $210,504 $1.3 million Hakipuu Learning Center $21,168 $129,060 Halau Ku Mana $29,988 $182,835 Halau Lokahi $53,508 $326,235 Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science $50,463 $317,196 Hawaii e-Charter $39,396 $240,195 Innovations $52,164 327,888 Ka Umeke Kaeo $87,885 $552,420 Kanu O Ka Aina $74,844 $470,448 Ka Ana Laahana $34,020 $213,840 Ke Kula O Nawahiokalaniopuu Iki Laboratory $20,979 $131,868 Ke Kula O Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory $27,636 $168,495 Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha Learning Center $17,010 $106,920 Kihei High School $33,453 $210,276 Lanikai Elementary $182,280 $1.1 million Niihau School of Kekaha $20,979 $131,868 The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences $44,226 $277,992 Voyager $84,672 $516,240 Waialae Elementary $262,836 $1.6 million Waters of Life $37,422 $235,224 West Hawaii Explorations Academy $66,339 $416,988
BACK TO TOP
|
HILO >> A Hilo charter school's attempt to obtain lost funding failed yesterday when Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura ruled that there is no contract requiring the state to give the school a specific amount of money. Judge rules against
Hilo school seeking to
regain lost funding
By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.comLegal Aid Society attorney David Kimo Frankel argued for Connections charter school that a contract was created in 2000 when the Board of Education accepted Connections' charter.
The school was told last summer it would get $1.4 million, but that was reduced to $935,000, Frankel said.
Deputy Attorney General Patricia Ohara, representing state auditor Marion Higa, said the auditor distributed money under a new formula this year mandated by the legislature.
Nakamura rejected the contract argument.
Frankel later said: "All of the charter schools are hanging with their fingertips at the edge of a cliff. From now on, the discussions will be over crumbs rather than the whole loaf. The charter schools cannot survive on crumbs."
Despite measures in the Legislature that would help charter schools, Connections supervising teacher John Thatcher said the outlook is "very gloomy."
The school has no way to know how much money it will get next year, so it has to budget based on a "pure guess," he said.
Testimony in another Hilo charter school case indicated regular public schools are allotted about $7,000 per pupil. Thatcher says his school gets only $2,997 per pupil.
State of Hawaii
