Hawaii Lawmakers Spent Big On Public Schools This Year
But education advocates said the Legislature did little to address problems such as school bus driver shortages, fire safety and the need for more preschool teachers.
State lawmakers gave the Hawaii Department of Education an infusion of almost $750 million during the recent legislative session to support school facilities, professional development for teachers, student mental health and other initiatives.
Education advocates said the Legislature’s spending decisions were a significant improvement from last year, when lawmakers cut DOE’s budget by roughly $170 million in the final weeks of the session. This year’s boost is in addition to the department’s nearly $2 billion annual budget.
But, they said, the Legislature fell short this year in addressing long-term concerns around student safety, access to early learning and affordable school meals.
School funding was a source of concern for much of the session, as state leaders looked at how to prioritize costly recovery efforts on Maui after the Aug. 8 wildfires. But the passed last week fulfilled many of DOE鈥檚 requests, including money for summer learning, small and remote schools and the expansion of career and technical education.
鈥淚 think it is a budget for public education,鈥 said Rep. Jeanne Kapela, who serves on the House Education Committee.
But other priorities legislators touted in January, including addressing the school bus driver shortage and repairing campus fire alarms, didn’t make it into law. David Sun-Miyashiro, executive director of HawaiiKidsCAN, said he鈥檚 hopeful the Hawaii Board of Education will address some of these challenges in the coming months, so schools don鈥檛 need to wait another year to see changes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a marathon, not a sprint,鈥 Sun-Miyashiro said.
A New Chance At Construction
The session began shortly after DOE proposed letting nearly half a billion dollars in construction funding lapse, drawing the ire of lawmakers and the public. In December, senators said there was no guarantee the Legislature would give the department a second chance at completing projects with funding expiring in June.
But after the DOE said it had sped up work and would only need to let $275 million in construction funds expire, lawmakers voted to reappropriate $66 million for projects that had run out of time. Lawmakers also gave the department an additional $530 million to spend on facilities.
Lawmakers made significant efforts to prevent school construction funds from lapsing again, although the best solution for speeding up work remained a point of contention. One unsuccessful proposal was to reorganize the DOE office that oversees school facilities and give the department the power to purchase and lease property.
Senators, including Education Committee Chair Michelle Kidani, also attempted to eliminate the School Facilities Authority, which is responsible for such projects as teacher housing and new school construction. While an earlier version of the budget removed all projects and staff positions from SFA, the authority’s funding was restored in the final version.
Rep. Amy Perruso, who serves on the House Education Committee, said she鈥檚 keeping her expectations low when it comes to DOE鈥檚 ability to complete construction projects efficiently. The Legislature and DOE need to revisit how new school projects are prioritized, funded and completed, Perruso said.
鈥淭here are legitimate ways to make these decisions, and I worry politics have played too much of a role,鈥 Perruso said.
Fire Safety Remains Unaddressed
After the Lahaina fires destroyed King Kamehameha III Elementary in August, families and lawmakers said protecting campuses against future disasters should be a top priority. Last fall, the House convened a working group to produce policy recommendations on how to better prepare schools for emergencies.
The group said the DOE should increase communication and transparency with families by publishing school emergency action plans, which detail campuses鈥 responses to evacuations, active shooters and other disasters. A bill to do that died in the Senate after DOE raised concerns that publicizing the action plans could create security risks.
鈥淚nformation needs to be accessible, but the level of information posted online obviously requires more extensive consultation with educators, parents and other stakeholders,鈥 said Rep. Trish La Chica, vice chair of the House Education Committee.
Other initiatives relating to fire safety also stalled in the Legislature.
One issue was the lack of working fire alarms, with 22 schools reporting broken alarms last month. Another 68 schools have systems that are so outdated replacement parts no longer exist for their alarms.
Kapela introduced an unsuccessful bill requiring DOE to publish annual reports identifying campuses with inoperable systems. The bill would also have appropriated funds for maintaining and replacing broken alarms.
Moving forward, Kapela would like to see the state dedicate more resources and funding to replacing broken alarms more quickly, especially since schools have reported waiting for several years to receive system repairs.
Searching For Other Solutions
Education advocates and lawmakers said they had also hoped to see more solutions emerge around workforce shortages among bus drivers and preschool providers.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate introduced a handful of bills aimed at rectifying DOE鈥檚 decision to cut nearly 80 school bus routes last summer. The bills allowed DOE to use smaller buses and vans to transport students and proposed staggered start times for schools so bus drivers could complete more routes in the mornings.
While DOE received over $18 million to cover the costs of new bus contracts that go into effect this summer, the Legislature passed no bills addressing the transportation shortages. In March, DOE said it had restaffed nine bus routes on Kauai since the start of the school year but did not have plans to restore any additional routes.
“We did not get enough traction in that space,” said House Education Chair Justin Woodson, adding that more funding is necessary to raise bus drivers’ salaries and attract more workers to the field.
Daniela Spoto, director of food equity at Hawaii Appleseed, wanted to see a greater focus on food security for students this session. While three bills aimed to increase students鈥 access to free school meals, Spoto said staffing constraints in DOE’s food services branch may have prevented the initiatives from moving forward.
it could cost the state an additional $15 million to $25 million a year to offer free breakfast and lunch to all Hawaii students.
鈥淲e went into it (the session) with a heavy dose of skepticism,鈥 Spoto said, adding that she鈥檚 hopeful the initiative will make more progress next year.
Efforts to expand early learning also saw limited success, even as the state inches closer to its ambitious deadline of offering pre-kindergarten to all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2032.
Deborah Zysman, executive director of Hawaii Children鈥檚 Action Network, said a bill offering subsidies to child care providers would have been an important step toward retaining more workers in the early learning field. A University of Hawaii study estimated that early learning providers earn between $13 and $17 per hour, and persistently low wages contribute to Hawaii鈥檚 workforce shortage, Zysman said.
The bill received strong support but died in the final weeks of the session, with lawmakers citing insufficient funds for the subsidies, Zysman said.
Zysman added that she鈥檚 pleased a different bill passed that allows public lands, like courthouses or libraries, to host child care and preschool programs. But, she said, more needs to be done to support families and children moving forward.
鈥淜ids kind of got passed over this year,鈥 Zysman said.
Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
