Guest Contributor

John Thatcher

John Thatcher is a retired founder, teacher and principal at Connections PCS in Hilo. He is also the secretary of the Hawaiʻi Public Charter Schools Network and a member of the Native Hawaiian Education Council.
Hawaiʻi’s Charter School Commission Needs Fundamental Restructuring David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

Hawaiʻi’s Charter School Commission Needs Fundamental Restructuring

Legislative proposals suggest pooling resources and offering centralized support for complex operational and facility needs could address current flaws.

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Should Look To New Orleans For Education Models Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Should Look To New Orleans For Education Models

Rather than relying on a top-heavy state department to dictate operations, individual schools are granted full autonomy over their budgets, staffing, and curricula.

Hawaiʻi’s Charter Schools Just Dodged A Financial Bullet Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2017

Hawaiʻi’s Charter Schools Just Dodged A Financial Bullet

Forcing the state to pay for religious charter schools would exacerbate the financial disparity that already exists between state-funded charter schools and the DOE schools.

US Supreme Court Ruling On Charter Schools Could Impact Hawaiʻi Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015

US Supreme Court Ruling On Charter Schools Could Impact Hawaiʻi

Does public funding of a religious school violate the establishment clause of state and federal constitutions?