Bill Text: HI SB199 | 2017 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii Senate Bill 199 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relating To Teacher Incentives.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-03-23 - Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Aquino, Ichiyama, Souki excused (3). [SB199 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-SB199-Amended.html

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	199
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO TEACHER INCENTIVES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Public charter schools provide an exciting and solid option as an alternative form of public education for the students of Hawaii. A major component in the success of public charter schools is the dedication of their administrators, staff, and teachers in creating an environment of educational excellence. Similar to their counterparts within public schools established and maintained by the department of education, teachers at public charter schools who have earned National Board certification or committed to work at schools in a location determined by the department of education as hard-to-fill are entitled to receive incentive bonuses. However, unlike their counterparts within public schools established and maintained by the department of education, which has a designated fund for the payment of these incentive bonuses, public charter schools have had to pay incentive bonuses out of each individual school's per-pupil funds, a cost not calculated into the moneys provided each year by the State. Because some public charter schools remain small institutions with already lean budgets, the additional expense created by these additional payments creates a situation in which school administrators must choose between hiring and retaining high-quality teachers and balancing their budgets.

The purpose of this Act is to ensure a fair allocation of funds meant to benefit students who attend public schools established and maintained by the department of education and students who attend public charter schools by mandating that incentive bonuses shall not be paid from per-pupil funds.

SECTION 2. Section 302D-28, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§302D-28 Funding and finance. (a) Beginning with fiscal year 2012-2013, and each fiscal year thereafter, the non-facility general fund per-pupil funding request for charter school students shall be the same as the general fund per-pupil amount to the department in the most recently approved executive budget recommendation for the department and shall be based upon reasonable projected enrollment figures for all charter schools. The general fund per-pupil request for each regular education and special education student shall:

(1) Include all general fund regular education cost categories, including comprehensive school support services, but excluding special education services, adult education, and the after-school plus program; provided that these services are provided and funded by the department; and

(2) Exclude fringe benefit costs and debt service.

(b) Fringe benefit costs for charter school employees, regardless of the payroll system utilized by a charter school, shall be included in the department of budget and finance's annual budget request. No fringe benefit costs shall be charged directly to or deducted from the charter school per-pupil allocations.

The legislature shall make an appropriation based upon the budget request; provided that the legislature may make additional appropriations for facility and other costs.

The governor, pursuant to chapter 37, may impose restrictions or reductions on charter school appropriations similar to those imposed on department schools.

(c) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, to ensure non-facility per-pupil general fund amounts allocated for the department and charter school students are equal on an annualized fiscal year basis, each year the director of finance shall:

(1) Determine the sum of general fund appropriations made for department and charter school student non-facility costs described in subsections (a) and (b);

(2) Determine the sum of department and charter school student enrollment based on reviewed and verified student enrollment counts as of October 15;

(3) Determine a per-pupil amount by dividing the sum of general fund appropriations determined under paragraph (1) by the sum of student enrollment determined under paragraph (2);

(4) Transfer a general fund amount between the department and charter schools that will provide each with a per-pupil allocation equal to the amount determined on an annualized fiscal year basis under paragraph (3); and

(5) Annually account for all calculations and transfers made pursuant to this subsection in a report to the legislature, governor, department, and charter schools.

This subsection shall not limit the ability of the director of finance to modify or amend any allotment pursuant to chapter 37.

(d) Charter schools shall be eligible for all federal financial support to the same extent as department schools. The department shall provide all authorizers with all state-level federal grant proposals submitted by the department that include charter schools as potential recipients and timely reports on state-level federal grants received for which charter schools may apply or are entitled to receive. Federal funds received by the department for charter schools shall be transferred to authorizers for distribution to the charter schools they authorize in accordance with the federal requirements. If administrative services related to federal grants are provided to the charter school by the department, the charter school shall reimburse the department for the actual costs of the administrative services in an amount that shall not exceed six per cent of the charter school's federal grants.

Any charter school shall be eligible to receive any supplemental federal grant or award for which any department school may submit a proposal, or any supplemental federal grants limited to charter schools; provided that if department administrative services, including funds management, budgetary, fiscal accounting, or other related services, are provided with respect to these supplemental grants, the charter school shall reimburse the department for the actual costs of the administrative services in an amount that shall not exceed six per cent of the supplemental grant for which the services are used.

All additional funds generated by the governing boards[,] that are not from a supplemental grant[,] shall be held separate from allotted funds and may be expended at the discretion of the governing boards.

(e) Authorizers shall calculate a general fund per-pupil amount based upon the amount of general funds appropriated by the legislature and released by the governor and the projected enrollment amount used to calculate the general funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a).

Authorizers shall submit a report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session that contains each charter school's current school year projection that is used to submit the budget request, the updated May 15 enrollment projection, the actual October 15 enrollment count, the authorizer's reviewed and verified enrollment count, and the November 15 enrollment count.

(f) To enable charter schools to access state funding prior to the start of each school year, foster their fiscal planning, enhance their accountability, and avoid over-allocating general funds to charter schools based on self-reported enrollment projections, authorizers shall:

(1) Provide sixty per cent of a charter school's per-pupil allocation based on the charter school's projected student enrollment no later than July 20 of each fiscal year; provided that the charter school shall have submitted to its authorizer a projected student enrollment no later than May 15 of each year;

(2) Provide an additional thirty per cent of a charter school's per-pupil allocation no later than December 1 of each year, based on the October 15 student enrollment, as reviewed and verified by the authorizer, only to schools in compliance with all financial reporting requirements; and

(3) Retain no more than the balance of the remaining ten per cent of a charter school's per-pupil allocation, as a contingency balance to ensure fiscal accountability and compliance, no later than June 30 of each year;

provided that authorizers may make adjustments in allocations based on noncompliance with charter contracts and the board may make adjustments in allocations based on noncompliance with board policies made in the board's capacity as the state education agency, department directives made in the department's capacity as the state education agency, the board's administrative procedures, and board-approved accountability requirements.

(g) The department shall provide appropriate transitional resources to a conversion charter school for its first year of operation as a charter school based upon the department's allocation to the school for the year prior to the conversion.

(h) No charter school may assess tuition; provided that a charter school may assess and collect special fees and charges from students for co-curricular activities. Any special fees and charges collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited into insured checking or savings accounts and expended by each individual charter school.

(i) Funds necessary to pay for teacher incentive programs, bonuses, and other compensation required by law or collective bargaining beyond regular wages shall not be paid out of a charter school's facilities funding or per-pupil funds. Beginning with fiscal year 2018-2019, and each fiscal year thereafter, the funding request for teacher incentive programs, bonuses, and other compensation required by law or collective bargaining beyond regular wages for each charter school shall be a separate line item in the general appropriations act and supplemental appropriations act."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018 to pay for the following bonuses for public charter school teachers:

(1) Collectively bargained placement bonuses in schools determined as hard-to-fill by the department of education; and

(2) Teacher national board certification incentive program bonuses as outlined in section 302A-706, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the state public charter school commission for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2051.

Report Title:

Charter Schools; Teacher Incentives; Teacher Bonuses; Appropriation

Description:

Clarifies that funds for bonuses required by statute or collective bargaining shall not be paid out of a charter school's facilities funding or per-pupil funds. Requires, beginning with fiscal year 2018-2019, that such bonuses be separate line items in the budget. Appropriates funds for teacher bonuses for hard-to-fill placement incentives and National Board certified teacher incentives for charter school teachers. (SB199 HD1)

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.