Charter strengthens UH Lab School
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
The governor has signed the charter for the University of Hawai'i Laboratory School, cementing the school's new ties with the state and strengthening its precarious financial situation.
Advertiser library photo • Sept. 30, 1996
Gov. Ben Cayetano approved the charter after it was sent to him by Department of Education officials and the state's school Board of Trustees.
Students read "Boy," by Roald Dahl, along with teacher Jim Harstad at the University of Hawai'i Lab School.
The charter-school status means that the Lab School, commonly known as UH High, will be eligible to receive per-pupil financing from the state.
UH's recent budget woes had hit the Lab School particularly hard; the school lost its entire operational budget this year. Because by law it cannot charge tuition, the Lab School has been applying for grants, and parents have raised and donated money to keep the campus open.
At the Lab School, 360 students from kindergarten through 12th grade participate in a curriculum experiment that for years has won national and international acclaim. Faculty members spend years developing and testing course work on Lab School students before publishing curriculum and textbooks to distribute to the rest of the world.
The charter means that special-education students will be accepted at the school for the first time. Next year, the official name becomes The Education Laboratory: A Hawai'i New Century Public Charter School.
But the Lab School faces other issues. For years, university officials have discussed moving the school off the Manoa campus, where land value is at a premium.
Noelani Elementary School, which has a low student enrollment, had been talked about as a possible location, but DOE officials say they are loathe to close down that highly successful campus.
The idea of moving the Lab School out to Kapolei, where administrators plan to develop the UH-West O'ahu campus, has also been floated.
"I would not hold out a lot of hope that we would be able to remain in this location long-term," said Donald Young, professor of education and associate director of the Curriculum Research Development Group, the research arm of the campus.
UH President Evan Dobelle said he has not considered the Lab School's location, but has asked Randy Hitz, dean of the Manoa College of Education, to look at how the Lab School can help in training special-education teachers.
"This is a public university and special education is in a crisis situation," Dobelle said. "Can we look at the Lab School in pre-K through sixth grade as being helpful on special education?"
Dobelle said he has not yet discussed the idea with Lab School officials, and will visit the campus administrators, students and parents before suggesting any changes.
Hitz said the Lab School is already looking at how its curriculum can be adapted for special-needs children.
Students are not accepted on the basis of good grades, but are chosen so that there will be a socioeconomic, ethnic and academic mix of students. That selection criteria will simply be expanded to include special-needs children, Young said.
The Lab School receives 1,200 applications for every 60 slots.
Trying to make a 50-year-old university-affiliated campus fit into the charter-school model also has been a challenge for school officials.
They now are trying to negotiate how they will have to answer to the Board of Education but still keep their link with UH, Young said. The original idea was that the faculty would remain UH employees.
"The intent was that they stay UH employees and the Lab School contracts with them," Young said. "But with the other charter schools, the DOE retains money and pays people directly. If they're all university faculty, how are you going to make that work?"
Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
