Kids May Lose After-School Options Under Hawaii’s DOE Budget Cuts
The $2.3 billion budget, which will be presented to the Board of Education on Thursday, would eliminate funding for school learning centers statewide.
For the past 40 years, school learning centers have connected students with film production classes, business internships and other hands-on opportunities tailored to their unique interests. Now, some teachers worry such programs could be coming to an end as the Hawaii Department of Education moves to eliminate these centers’ budgets and staff.
DOE operates 29 learning centers at middle and high schools across the state. The centers typically host after-school and weekend programs ranging from theater classes to robotics competitions, providing students with field trips and training they wouldn’t otherwise experience during the traditional school day.
The state provides each learning center with an annual budget of $17,000 and a part-time coordinator. But DOE proposed in to eliminate the appropriation for these centers next year and cut coordinator positions in 2026. The department cited the need to maintain overall funding levels and use its resources more efficiently.
Department spokesperson Nanea Ching said schools will be responsible for funding learning centers through their own budgets, which are largely based on student enrollment. She did not say if schools will receive more funding to cover the costs of running their centers next year.
DOE will present the proposed to the Board of Education on Thursday. The Legislature will consider departments’ funding requests in January and will finalize budgets for the next two years in the spring.
The budget request comes as roughly half a billion dollars in federal Covid-19 relief funds expired last month. DOE is seeking more state funds to keep pandemic-era programs afloat, resulting in cuts to other initiatives.
For example, while DOE is requesting $3 million to support after-school programs for middle schoolers in 2025, learning centers will lose roughly $2 million over the next two years. The learning centers are mainly located on high school campuses but provide outreach and activities in STEM, media, agriculture and more to students in all grade levels.
The cuts are centered on learning center activities and wouldn’t affect other extracurricular programs like sports and clubs.
Without state funding, many learning centers won’t continue to operate, said Karen Meyer, director of Castle High School’s performing arts learning center. The learning center was the first of its kind in Hawaii when it opened in 1984 and hosts three shows a year involving students across Oahu, she added.
Meyer said she already needs to supplement the state funds with revenues from concession stands and ticket sales to help cover the program costs. It’s unlikely that schools, including Castle, will have enough room in their budgets to fully support learning centers’ needs, she added.
Meyer predicts she’ll need to cut back on some initiatives, including an outreach program that teaches fifth and sixth graders about drama and the performing arts.
At some schools, principals may keep their learning center coordinators on staff but ask them to take on teaching jobs instead, said Geneva Esguerra, who oversees Mililani High School’s learning center. But it may be difficult for educators to run their learning centers while also juggling a full-time teaching schedule, she added.
“The truth of the matter is that not all high schools have funding to continue these programs,” Esguerra said.
Some teachers and former students also say cutting funding and staff for learning centers can take away valuable opportunities to jump-start students’ careers.
At Leilehua High School, Jackie Freitas’ learning center attracts students who are interested in jobs involving agriculture and natural resources. Students regularly invite groups of elementary schoolers to Leilehua’s campus to teach them about gardening and local animals, Freitas said.
“It’s a great resume builder for the students,” she said, adding that she’s not sure where she’ll find the funding to replace the state’s investment in her program.
Robin Kitsu said he’s determined to keep his learning center at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School running for as long as possible. The performing arts learning center may need to cut back on some of its performances and fundraise more frequently, he added, but there’s already so few opportunities for students to learn about music and the arts at school.
“We鈥檒l keep going because we believe in what we鈥檙e doing,” he said.
Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
Read the budget proposal below:
