Charter enrollment
increases 8.3 percent

Public schools are still declining,
and charter advocates are
critical about lack of funding

The number of students enrolled at the state's 27 public charter schools grew more than 8 percent this school year even as total enrollment in Hawaii's public school system continued a slow decline.

There are 5,596 students enrolled in charter schools for the 2005-06 school year, a gain of 8.3 percent, the Department of Education said yesterday.

The department said total public school enrollment, including charter school students, was down slightly to 181,355, about 500 students lower than the previous year and down about 2,000 students over the past four years.

The charter schools, many of which complain of inadequate state funding, probably would have even more students if the Legislature had provided the full amount of money required under state law, said Jim Shon, head of the Charters School Administrative Office.

"The funding uncertainty has created less enthusiasm than there might be," he said.

Still, many charter schools have long lists of students waiting to take advantage of what is viewed as more personalized instruction.

"The education there is just that much better. They're willing to work with each individual child," said Linn Shanti, who selected Kakaako's Voyager School for her son when they moved here in 2003 from Massachusetts.

Shanti said her son was "bored" to distraction at a public school in Massachusetts but has been pushed and challenged at Voyager School. He has responded so well that he has been moved ahead one grade.

"He has absolutely excelled there," she said.

Earlier this year, the department forecast charter school enrollment would grow nearly 50 percent by 2009, to 7,335 students.

However, many schools are already straining to accommodate demand due to funding shortages and the fact that some schools have no long-term facilities from which to operate.

Shon said this is causing some charter schools to look seriously at Web-based instruction and other "virtual school" options, noting that the state's largest charter school is the Web-based Myron Thompson Academy.

The Board of Education is considering requests by some schools for permission to expand such offerings, he said.

"There is real interest in that type of thing," he said.

Stagnant overall public school enrollment has been blamed on new Kamehameha Schools campuses opening up on the neighbor islands and on general demographic trends.

"The high cost of living and housing in Hawaii has almost certainly made it harder for young families to move to Hawaii," said Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen.