Ige wants $1.6B for schooling, with $62M for cooling

Hawaii public schools would see a significant boost in funding to the tune of $93 million for operations under a proposed two-year state budget Gov. David Ige released Monday.

The increase would swell the Department of Education’s overall budget for next year to more than $1.6 billion in general funds, representing 22 percent of the state’s general fund budget. The add-ons would mostly go toward per-pupil funds statewide, the expansion of a program that allows high school students to take college courses toward a future degree, and a new grant program to encourage innovation at schools.

On the facilities side, Ige’s budget includes $700 million in state-backed bonds for the Department of Education, including money for heat abatement or classroom cooling projects, three new schools on Maui and Oahu, and new classroom buildings at several crowded campuses.

“The executive budget truly is the primary public policy document that really provides the vehicle for us to change the trajectory of the state so that our children can choose to call Hawaii home,” Ige said during a news conference Monday. “It invests heavily in education as we begin the transformation of our public schools to be future-focused.”

Ige called his increases in per-pupil funding — $28 million more a year for what’s known as the weighted student formula — the “largest investment in instruction at the school level ever.”

Lawmakers created the funding method in 2004 as a way to ensure that funds go to schools with the greatest needs, recognizing that some students cost more to educate. The formula assigns “weights” to various student characteristics such as economic disadvantage, special education and English-language learners. Principals have discretion over the spending.

“Those are the funds that make it directly to the schools,” said Ige, who has repeatedly stated that he wants to help empower school leaders with resources and decision-making authority.

The Department of Education received more than $887 million for the current fiscal year to allocate through the weighted student formula, representing more than half of the department’s overall operating budget. Budget officials said the $28 million figure includes $10 million aimed at helping close the achievement gap between high-needs students and their peers, and $18 million to account for a 2 percent increase in inflation.

Early College

The governor’s budget also seeks $9 million over two years to expand the Early College program to all public high schools. Last school year at least 25 high schools offered the program, which provides students an opportunity to earn college credit for free while satisfying high school diploma requirements.

Participating schools have been covering the cost of tuition and books for students — about a $350 value per course — using grants or weighted student formula funds. Officials have previously said the $9 million would pay for two college courses, or six credits, for every graduating senior.

“I truly believe that we should make this opportunity available at all public schools,” Ige said.

Ige also wants to set aside $10 million a year for an innovation fund that public schools would be able to tap for out-of-the-box approaches to improve student outcomes. He said the idea stems from feedback received at community forums hosted by a group of volunteers he tasked with creating a “blueprint” to reform the public school system.

“What we had heard over and over as we traveled to community meetings is that the schools were tired of unfunded mandates … and looked forward to the opportunity to be able to do what they believe is most important for our students,” Ige said.

More room

For facilities, Ige’s budget includes more than $373 million in bond financing to address school capacity issues, including $265 million for three new schools: a long-planned high school campus in Kihei, Maui, and middle and elementary campuses in East Kapolei. It also includes money for new classroom buildings at Campbell and Kapolei high schools, which have been struggling to accommodate annual increases in enrollment.

Ige also wants $62 million more for heat abatement projects to cool more classrooms.

“No one is more frustrated than I am at the pace of implementation of our efforts to cool the schools, but we will continue,” the governor said.

The “cool schools” initiative — pledged by Ige in his State of the State speech in January and subsequently funded with $100 million from the Legislature — initially was envisioned to be completed by December. But the project faced setbacks after an initial round of proposals came in significantly over budget this summer. Fewer than 50 classrooms so far have been completed.

“This budget continues our investment to providing a quality environment for our children to learn,” Ige said.