WHEREAS, the public schools located in Leeward Oahu operate at full or near-full capacity while struggling with severe overcrowding on campuses; and

WHEREAS, this growing issue of public school overcrowding has led to many schools operating at full capacity even while providing multi-track schedules; and

WHEREAS, public school capacity concerns are not expected to ease due to the significant demand for additional residential developments in the area; and

WHEREAS, public school capacity concerns are increasingly linked to the projected construction of residential high-rises in the Kakaako community development district; and

WHEREAS, construction of additional public school campuses is the most common method by which public school capacity concerns have been traditionally resolved; and

WHEREAS, this method involves significant costs, demand for available state land, and time before the school may commence operations such that the feasibility and sustainability of continued reliance on this method has been called into question; and

WHEREAS, high-quality start-up public charter school campuses may be constructed and able to commence operations more quickly and at a lower cost than construction and commencement of traditional public schools; and

WHEREAS, public charter schools are potentially capable of filling important educational niches absent in the state public school system model, including the operation of programs in non‑traditional facilities; and

WHEREAS, in the State Public Charter School Commission's 2014 Request for Proposals for new public charter schools and orientation sessions on the application process, applicants had to address anticipated contributions by a proposed school to the state public education system, such as procuring additional sources for school capacity where existing public schools are at or nearing capacity or where significant enrollment increases are projected; and

WHEREAS, the State Public Charter School Commission also has appropriately and significantly increased the rigor of Hawaii's charter school application process, in order to ensure that only high quality applications for new public charter schools are approved, and also has lengthened the start-up time period for an approved applicant to prepare to commence school operations successfully; and

WHEREAS, existing public charter schools are able to submit proposals to the State Public Charter School Commission for the expansion or replication of operations on additional campuses; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the State Public Charter School Commission is requested to continue its efforts to encourage prospective public charter school applicants to address larger public education system needs, such as the need for increased school capacity in particular geographic areas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Public Charter School Commission is requested to intensify its efforts to raise awareness among community stakeholders, including state and county agencies, developers, and community-based organizations, of the potential of public charter schools to resolve these needs, and the rigorous application process of the State Public Charter School Commission; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Public Charter School Commission is further requested to assess existing and proposed legislative means for incentivizing prospective public charter school applicants to submit proposals addressing public school overcrowding and the need for additional public school capacity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Public Charter School Commission is requested to submit a report on the status of its efforts and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Chairperson of the State Public Charter School Commission, and Executive Director of the State Public Charter School Commission.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

State Public Charter School Commission; Public School Overcrowding

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	123
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII