HTA Executive Director Matt Zitello has taken HTA’s vision to the State Capitol, advocating for groundbreaking legislation that would reshape how public charter schools build and fund their facilities.
Senate Bill 2024, alongside companion bill House Bill 1783, proposes a pilot program allowing the School Facilities Authority to form public-private partnerships with charter schools. The initiative aims to streamline school construction and reduce the heavy financial burden charter schools face when securing learning spaces.
The measure marked a major milestone recently by clearing the House Finance Committee.
For HTA, the legislation directly addresses our biggest obstacle to growth. Demand for our blended learning model has surged 60% in four years, as we’ve grown from 1,375 students in 2021 to more than 2,200 today. Despite this expansion, facilities remain the primary barrier to serving more families, forcing us to manage long waitlists.
Under the current system, charter schools routinely spend millions of dollars retrofitting leased facilities they do not own. High real estate costs and complex permitting processes frequently derail expansion efforts. SB 2024 offers a sustainable alternative by leveraging state expertise and private capital to create permanent, state-supported campuses.
“We’re already spending the money,” Mr. Z told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “We’d rather be putting it back into the state and have a partner that knows how to do this.”
By giving the state a low-risk pathway to expand campus opportunities, lawmakers have a direct chance to invest in public education choices for local keiki.
We remain hopeful that state leaders will continue to support SB 2024 as it moves through the final stages of the legislative session.
