BOE funding
request gets
mixed reactionsThe board is asking
the state for an extra
$51.2 million
School officials seeking more money for Hawaii's public schools in the next fiscal year got a sympathetic hearing from Democratic legislators yesterday, but Republicans were wary.
"The conclusion I've come to over and over again is that we spend far too little in funding education," said Sen. Gary Hooser (D, Kauai-Niihau), noting that some students in his district have not had playground equipment for years and that some bathroom stalls lack doors.
He spoke at an informational briefing held by the Senate Ways and Means and House Finance committees yesterday at the Capitol to examine differences between the 2005 supplemental budget submitted by Gov. Linda Lingle and what was sought by the schools.
Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Lanikai-Waimanalo) had a different take on the Board of Education's request for an additional $51.2 million in state money to run the schools in the coming fiscal year.
"The taxpayers of Hawaii have been more than generous with the funding of education in Hawaii," he argued. "Throwing more money at a broken system has not and will not improve the quality of education."
Of the $51.2 million sought by the schools, the Lingle administration has approved $3.7 million in additional state funds. That would bring the general fund operating budget to $1.466 billion for fiscal year 2005. The Legislature considers the governor's request in determining the budget but sets its own priorities.
Lingle's budget zeroed out requests for $24 million more in state funds to comply with requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. But it added $8.7 million in new federal funds that can help meet No Child Left Behind needs in high-poverty schools.
Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto and Board of Education Chairman Breene Harimoto say the schools need more money to recruit, train and pay for staff to ensure they are "highly qualified," as required by the law. The rest would go toward other mandates of the law: information technology to handle record-keeping, extensive student testing and funds for coordinators to encourage parental involvement in the schools.
"If we don't have the funding to meet those program needs, then aren't we kind of shooting ourselves in the foot?" asked Sen. Russell Kokubun (D, Hilo-Naalehu). "If the state doesn't dig into our own pocket to meet standards imposed by the federal government, we stand to lose federal funds."
As requested by the schools, the administration's budget earmarks money to make up for shortfalls in student transportation and the A+ after-school program, and also sets aside $1 million for custodial and restroom supplies. That issue became a concern last year after students reported bathrooms without paper towels or even toilet paper.
Lingle agreed to an additional $500,000 for athletic coaches' salaries, half of what the board sought. But she rebuffed requests for $2.2 million to ensure that kindergarten through second-grade classrooms have no more than 25 students; $1.5 million for Hawaiian-language immersion schools; $2 million for staff salaries at year-round multitrack schools, criminal history checks and other items; and $1 million for retention incentives for principals.
One area of the budget the governor is ramping up is repair and maintenance. She has proposed $90 million in the capital improvements budget to fix deteriorating schools, which is less than the $130 million sought by the schools but more than the $35 million funded by the Legislature for this fiscal year.
The schools have a $640 million backlog on such projects, with roughly $50 million in new problems cropping up each year, according to Rae Loui, assistant superintendent for the Office of Business Services.
The schools had asked for 15 major construction projects, totaling $87 million. The executive budget funded three of them, at $20 million: new buildings at Kealakehe Intermediate School and Hana High and Elementary School, and money to build Ocean Pointe Elementary School in Ewa Beach.
Hamamoto expressed concern that the governor's hiring freeze has hampered the payroll and personnel departments that are crucial to staffing the schools. The governor's decision to release money in increments this fiscal year also meant that some schools lost educational assistants and other staff because they could not guarantee them a year's contract, she said.
In funding for libraries, the governor agreed with the Board of Education's request for an extra $1 million for books and materials.
She also agreed to $3.5 million of a $5 million request for money to renovate libraries to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act and health and safety requirements.
"The governor has been very generous with the library system this year," said John Penebacker, special assistant to the state librarian.