Isle charter schools
to receive full fundingLegislators vote to add
$2.5 million that had been
missing in an earlier budget
A budget shortfall that threatened to shut down some of Hawaii's charter schools was resolved yesterday when legislators agreed to add the missing $2.5 million needed to run the schools next year.
"Charter schools are an integral part of the transformation of our public schools," said Sen. Norman Sakamoto (D, Salt Lake-Foster Village), the Education Committee chairman. "That means supporting full funding."
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State Legislature: Bills
& Hawaii Revised StatutesThe problem arose because outdated figures were used in the supplemental budget the governor submitted to the Legislature earlier this year. The budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 asked for $25.9 million instead of the nearly $28.4 million required for the 4,944 students expected to attend charter schools this fall.
Yesterday, a conference committee voted unanimously, 7-0, to tack the extra money onto a separate charter school bill, Senate Bill 2425, SD1.
Gov. Linda Lingle supports full funding of Hawaii's 26 charter schools and is expected to sign the bill once it clears the House and Senate.
Senate Ways and Means Chairman Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa) said the funds would come from the carry-over balance in the state's financial plan. The money had not been included in the budget because the administration never formally requested it, he said.
"All we had to work with was the administration's budget," he said.
Dewey Kim, executive director of the state Charter Schools' Office, and Jim Williams, vice president of the Hawaii Charter Schools Network, thanked legislators for their support. Under a law enacted last year, per-pupil allotments are supposed to reflect the most recent Department of Education financial report, and accurate enrollment counts.
"This action today fulfills that commitment, and we very much appreciate that," Williams said. "I think it will go much more smoothly next year."
Part of the reason for the outdated figures, Williams said, was that Kim began his job, a new state position whose responsibilities include preparing budget requests for charter schools, on Feb. 1, after the budget had been submitted.
The Board of Education later approved the updated figure.
After the problem was discovered late last week, the charter school community peppered legislators with e-mails and phone calls, and scheduled a rally for today at the Capitol. Charter schools are public schools that operate under a charter with the state giving them more autonomy over their operations.
"The community has spoken on the subject of funding for charter schools, and today's vote reflects that wholehearted support," said Rep. Roy Takumi (D, Pearl City-Pacific Palisades), House Education Committee chairman. "We felt it was an issue of fairness and equity."
