The Public Charter School Commission has approved a new contract with the state’s 32 charter schools that is designed to measure their performance from year to year.

"This new contract and performance standards implement the requirements of a much more rigorous state charter law that will ultimately raise the bar for charter schools across our state," said Karen Street, commission chairwoman. "We believe these measures will preserve the autonomy of Hawaii’s charter schools, which is needed to fuel innovation in schools, while ensuring accountability for public dollars."

The commission worked with charter school leaders and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers to create the contract, which was approved Thursday.

"We have worked, and will continue to work, with the commission to make sure schools understand their responsibilities and that the new accountability system will honor local decision-making in Hawaii’s charter schools," said Lynn Finnegan, executive director of the Hawaii Public Charter School Network.

Charter schools are free public institutions that operate under a charter, or contract, with the state. They report to their own governing boards, made up of volunteers, rather than to the state Board of Education.

They have freedom to hire staff and design curriculum as they see fit, and in turn are supposed to be accountable for their academic results and expenditure of public funds.

Each school will be required to sign the contract and participate in the state’s academic accountability system for all public schools.

"The adoption of the new accountability framework marks an important milestone in Hawaii’s overhaul of its chartering system," said Tom Hutton, the commission’s new executive director.