A proposal for a new charter school, or schools, focused on the children of military families bears more than casual review.

The proposal offers an opportunity to entice military families who otherwise might resist relocating to Hawai'i over concerns about the quality of public education here.

With the prospect of major expansion of the military presence here through the Stryker Brigade and perhaps a carrier group, this is no small matter.

Such a charter school would be an additional test of the benefits of the back-to-basics curriculum that is a hallmark of Department of Defense schools worldwide.

As reported by education writer Beverly Creamer, a petition in support of such a school is circulating. And proponents have received a $25,000 grant to explore options.

It is clear that there is no single model that fits the educational needs of all students. That's the basic philosophy behind the charter school movement.

Authorities must be careful to ensure that charter start-ups do not bleed off resources from the bedrock public school system or from schools servicing military families not involved in the charter school.

But there are special needs and special circumstances. One facing military families is that they transfer every several years, forcing their children to adapt to new and unfamiliar educational systems regularly throughout their school years.

It is worth exploring whether this is a model that should be offered here.