2006 Policy Briefs

from Senator Norman Sakamoto

CHARTER SCHOOLS - 5/30/06
Charter schools represent a new approach to public education in Hawaii. A charter school is a public school with its own local school board. It has the flexibility to choose its own curriculum while at the same time is bound by the same academic standards as other public schools.

FELIX DECREE - 5/21/06
In May 1993, Jennifer Felix, represented by her mother, filed a suit in federal court alleging that the State of Hawaii failed to provide her with adequate mental health services.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT – 5/21/06
Concerned with America losing its competitive advantage to other nations, US Congress and President George W. Bush in 2002 passed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

WEIGHTED STUDENT FORMULA – 3/5/06
Weighted student formula (WSF) is a key component of the 2004 Reinventing Education Act. Its purpose is to improve the quality of public education in Hawaii by bringing greater equity and fairness to school spending. WSF was not intended to work by itself. In the Reinventing Education Act of 2004 WSF was linked to the decentralization of DOE, giving principals greater autonomy as well as imposing greater accountability..

THREE EDUCATION INITIATIVES – 2/12/06
Our educational system will be greatly improved if we can: (1) eliminate the R&M (repair and maintenance) backlog, (2) ensure fair distribution of CIP (capital improvement projects) resources, and (3) increase the number of teachers in order to lower the student-to-teacher ratio.