Lingle shows Gov. Linda Lingle, concerned that she is being accused of slashing spending on education, released figures yesterday that showed the Department of Education's budget is actually larger this year than last.
education budget
increasing
Critics say most of the increase is
not making it into Hawaii classroomsBy Susan Essoyan
sessoyan@starbulletin.com"The bottom line is that spending continues to go up every year," Lingle said, noting that cuts imposed by her administration have only slowed the growth.
But House Democrats say most of the increase in the education budget is going to things like negotiated pay raises and increased pension costs while students are being shortchanged.
"It's like if you're at a job and you get a $50 raise and you're happy, but then the company says, 'Oh, by the way, we're going to take your desk away,'" said Rep. Roy Takumi (D, Pearl City-Pacific Palisades), chairman of the Education Committee. "You don't have the tools to do your job. ...
"There are less resources going into the classroom under the governor's budget."
Figures provided by the Governor's Office show total expenditures for the Department of Education growing to $1.396 billion for fiscal year 2003, which ends in June, from $1.319 billion in fiscal year 2002.
But more than half of the $77 million increase will go to collective-bargaining allocations, which jumped to $84 million from $45 million.
Another $14.6 million of what the Governor's Office showed as an increase in education spending was simply a transfer from the Department of Health to the Department of Education to cover a shortfall in funding for autism services. The federally mandated program was shifted from the Department of Health to the Department of Education last July without sufficient money attached.
In January, Lingle asked the department to cut $3 million from its current budget, much less than the 5 percent across-the-board reduction that some other departments faced.
She has also cut $11 million in proposed education spending in each of the next two fiscal years.
The overall education budget, however, is still projected to rise to $1.418 billion next year and $1.458 billion in fiscal year 2005.
"Even after taking into account the reductions proposed, spending is going to be going up significantly over three years," said Randy Roth, the governor's senior adviser. "The public is under the impression she has actually reduced spending."
But House Finance Chairman Dwight Takamine (D, Hawi-Hilo) countered that schools are still having to deal with "real cuts" that affect student life.
"You have to understand what's behind the numbers," he said. "The growth in the budget is in areas farthest removed from the classroom, things like health funding, pension accumulation, Social Security."
Office of the Governor
State Department of Education