REQUESTING THE STATE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL COMMISSION TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON INCREASING ACCESS TO STABLE, SUITABLE, AND AFFORDABLE FACILITIES FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS.

HR14

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

14

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE BOARD OF
EDUCATION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL COMMISSION, TO
SUBMIT A REPORT ON INCREASING ACCESS TO STABLE, SUITABLE, AND AFFORDABLE
FACILITIES FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS.

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WHEREAS,
Hawaii's public charter schools serve a critical role as laboratories of
innovation in the State's education system; and

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WHEREAS, In
the 2024-2025 school year, the total enrollment for Hawaii charter schools
exceeded thirteen hundred students; and

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WHEREAS, the
Hawaii charter school sector continues to grow since the COVID-19 pandemic;
however, despite the growing population of youth being enrolled in charter
schools, public charter schools struggle to secure and pay for their own school
buildings; and

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WHEREAS, many
charter schools have been forced to operate out of tents, old offices and
former restaurants when space is scarce, sometimes searching for years for
permanent facilities that can keep up with their growth; and

WHEREAS, lack of funding for,
and availability of, proper facilities has been a long-standing issue for
charter schools nationally and locally, forcing some charter schools in the
State to hold classes outdoors, on covered lanais, or in unstable temporary
structures; and

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WHEREAS,
Hālau Lokahi, which closed in 2015, spent roughly $33,000 a month on
facilities, in addition, Kamalani Academy used more than half its budget
roughly $39,000 to rent an old Catholic school campus in Wahiawā; and

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WHEREAS,
despite the Department of Accounting and General Services and Department of
Education being mandated to conduct biennial surveys and submit biennial
reports relating to any unused state facility that may be used for public
charter schools, the departments have not identified any such facility; and

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WHEREAS,
unused or underutilized state facilities would help alleviate the lack of
proper facilities for public charter schools, despite the closure of many small
public schools; and

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WHEREAS,
allowing charters to share campus space with shrinking Department of Education
schools would create more educational options for families; now, therefore,

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BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Board of Education, in
partnership with the State Public Charter School Commission, is requested to
submit a report on increasing access to stable, suitable, and affordable
facilities for public charter schools, including any proposed legislation, to
the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular
Session of 2027; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that in preparing the report, the Board of Education is requested to:

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(1)
�
Assess why no unused facilities have been
identified by the appropriate state departments;

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(2)
�
Propose changes in policy or practice in
establishing an affirmative duty to connect charter schools with unused or
underutilized facilities, along with increased accountability and oversight
over unused facilities;

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(3)
�
Obtain and publish an updated list from the
Department of Education of unused or underutilized facilities;

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(4)
�
Identify Department of Education public
schools with low enrollment that could share their facilities to house charter
schools;

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(5)
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Coordinate with the School Facilities
Authority to include public charter school facilities as a priority for the
Authority;

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(6)
�
Assess the amount of federal funds or land
that are available to benefit eligible public charter school facilities in the
State but are not being accessed; and

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(7)
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Assess the feasibility of expanding the range
of financing options for public charter schools, such as tax-exempt bonds,
credit enhancement programs, and revolving loan funds; and

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

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Public
Charter Schools; Unused and Underutilized Facilities