HI HCR79

Requests the Board of Education and State Public Charter School Commission to submit a report on increasing access to stable, suitable, and affordable facilities for public charter schools by twenty days before the 2025 Regular Session convenes.

Directs the Board of Education to assess why no unused state facilities have been identified despite mandated biennial surveys and propose policy changes establishing an affirmative duty to connect charter schools with unused or underutilized facilities.

Requires obtaining and publishing an updated list of unused or underutilized Department of Education facilities and coordinating with the School Facilities Authority to make public charter school facilities a priority.

Mandates assessment of available federal funds not currently being accessed for eligible public charter school facilities and evaluation of financing options including tax-exempt bonds, credit enhancement programs, and revolving loan funds.

Notes that Hawaii's public charter schools serve more than twelve thousand students but lack adequate funding and proper facilities, with some schools forced to hold classes outdoors or in temporary structures.