Wai‘alae School Governing School Board:

Charter Schools in Hawaii 101

Introductions and thank yous to staff and teachers!

1. Name

2. Role on Governing School Board (GSB)

3. Why you believe in Charter Schools

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Meeting Goal:

To review key aspects of Hawaii’s unique charter school system and their role in the complex landscape

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To build connections among GSB, school leadership, and faculty

Agenda:

1. Charter Schools 101
1. Charters in Hawaii
2. How are charters like other public schools?
2. Activity: Chartering the Wai’alae Way
3. Charter challenges & Charter purposes
4. Kahoot
5. Upwards and onwards!

Charters 101:

Charters 101:

• 36 schools statewide
• 15 on Oahu, soon 16
• 5 on Kauai
• 1 on Molokai
• 1 on Maui
• 14 on the Big Island�
• 6.5% of public school enrollment (10,620)

Charters 101:

• “The Charter Bargain” -- more autonomy, more accountability�
• Self-governed and self-managed public school of choice
• Not run by the school district (DOE)
• Can think outside the box�
• Exists under a contract from its authorizer (Commission)
• Academic, financial, organizational responsibilities
• Note: GSB structure parallels this�
• Another way: The public decides “what” -- we decide “how”

Charters 101:

Public school of choice:

• Open and nondiscriminatory enrollment
• Free -- public funding
• Accountable for delivery of state curricular standards as measured by state assessments
• Hawaii: state entities, not private entities with a contract
• Hawaii: employees’ collective bargaining (atypical)
• Same bargaining units as DOE schools (highly unusual)
• Same agreements, possibly with supplementals (bizarre)

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Charters 101:

Conversion school:

• Six conversion schools statewide
• Former DOE school -- chose to apply for a charter
• DOE facility
• Hawaii: designated neighborhood school for attendance area
• Charter schools usually open to whole jurisdiction
• We must accept all students from inside attendance area, we accept from outside subject to available space

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Activity:

Chartering the Wai‘alae Way

1. Each group will be assigned a single category of charter autonomies.
2. Work together with your team to write everything you know about Wai‘alae in your assigned category.
3. After 5 min, we will share and debrief our thoughts.

Other System Challenges

1. Per pupil funding formula not based on a needs calculation
1. Based on DOE budget and charter enrollment percentage
2. Allocation among charter schools also not need-based�
2. No facilities funding for start-up charters
• Per pupil calculation excludes DOE capital funding
• Conversion schools have a better situation�
3. Less centralized support
• No strong charter schools association
• Not charter operators but “mom and pop” schools

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Why Charters? State Law:

Students: Support new approaches to education that accommodate the individual needs of students�

Community: Create genuine opportunities for communities to implement innovative models of community-based education �

Hawaii: Provide the State with successful templates that can dramatically improve Hawaii’s educational standards for the twenty-first century

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Kahoot Game: Wai‘alae Charter School 101!

PIN:

Onwards and upwards we go!

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• The GSB will help create the supportive conditions to enable our CEO, faculty, and staff to realize Wai‘alae’s mission and vision and to fulfill its full potential as a public charter school

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• Thank you for your dedication to public education and teaching our children!