Bill advances to give Hawaiian-oriented charter schools their own
district
The
Honolulu
Star-Bulletin
reports:
"Hawaiian-focused charter schools scattered across the state are pushing to
create their own school district in hopes of forging stronger links and
attracting more funding. A bill allowing a five-year pilot project for such a
district passed the Senate unanimously last week and was on this afternoon's
agenda of the House Education Committee. 'The statistics clearly show that
Hawaiian children are left behind, and this will afford us an opportunity to
initiate systemic change for Hawaii's native students,' Ku Kahakalau, founder of
Na Lei Na'auao, the Native Hawaiian Charter School Alliance, said yesterday.
'It's not the answer, it's a beginning to solve the problem.' Hawaiians are the
largest ethnic group in the public schools, representing 26 percent of
enrollment this school year, Department of Education data shows. But they fall
at the bottom in test scores, and are less likely to graduate than their peers,
according to a June 2003 study by Kamehameha Schools."
Posted: Wed - March 17, 2004 at 08:57 AM