Hawai‘i Charter Commission highlights student growth and asks for dedicated program and nurse funding

Ed Ngo, executive director of the Hawai‘i Charter School Commission, and commission staff told the House Finance Committee on Jan. 13 that charter schools statewide showed encouraging growth measures and asked lawmakers to consider budget moves to ensure parity for teacher differentials and to expand health and early‑learning supports in the charter sector.

Nut graf: The commission reported 38 charter schools statewide, positive growth and achievement‑gap performance on statewide assessments for many charter campuses, and requested specific budget actions to (1) move certain funding into EDN 612 so teacher differentials and Hawaiian immersion differentials are allocated appropriately for charters; (2) expand Hawaii Keiki nurse access to charter students; and (3) maintain adequate operational funding through the EDN 600 mechanism.

Commission staff gave data showing a strong growth trajectory for charter schools (a sizeable share met growth targets in English language arts and math on statewide Smarter Balanced and alternate Kaiāpu assessments). The commission also emphasized college‑credit and dual‑enrollment gains for secondary charter students and highlighted early‑learning participation at many schools.

On budget specifics the commission asked that the committee note EDN 600’s role as the statutory funding mechanism that provides the per‑pupil allocation to charter schools and proposed internal transfers to EDN 612 to cover teacher‑differential components (hard‑to‑staff differentials, Hawaiian immersion pay differentials) so the commission can distribute them appropriately. The commission also asked for a Hawaii Keiki nurse expansion to improve access to school‑based nursing services for charter students; the budget request listed roughly $1.0 million for Hawaii Keiki services targeted to charters in EDN 612.

Committee members pressed for details on per‑pupil allocation and facilities funding for start‑up versus conversion charter schools and raised questions about the timing of payroll fringe reimbursements for schools that use third‑party payroll vendors. Commission staff confirmed that fringe (FICA/Medicare) is covered by the state but that schools that use external payroll vendors must front those costs until quarterly reimbursements are processed; the commission noted a delay in receiving one quarter’s FICA reimbursement and said it was working with Budget and Finance and DAGS to resolve it.

Ending: The commission agreed to provide additional data broken down by campus on outcomes, and committee staff sought follow‑up material on EDN 600/612 mechanics and payroll‑reimbursement timing. No formal appropriation decisions were taken at the briefing.