While enrollment in Hawaii public schools’ adult education program has increased significantly in recent years, the state Board of Education has been forced to cut back on expenditures for what is rightly regarded as a secondary priority.

In order to salvage the program, the board has been presented with a pragmatic alternative of charging what amounts to extraordinarily modest tuition for what has been free of charge.

Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said four months ago that a cut in $5 million in general funds for adult education was needed for the Department of Education to meet higher priorities in the state’s school system. Adult school principals have proposed to reduce the number of adult community schools from 11 to four and charge students at least $20 for classes, which make up for half of the $5 million in federal matching funds to be lost in state expenditures for the program.

The need for the program is apparent. Enrollment by adult students has grown from 7,765 to 9,058 in the past five years. More than one-third of the enrollees are for English-language instruction, most of them adults over 25. Most of the enrollees are seeking competence-based diplomas or opportunities to pass GED tests.

Such services for adults are vital to building a productive workforce and empowering individuals to succeed. A high school diploma or the equivalent is essential for someone seeking the most modest of employment. The individual and our community both benefit.

The question is whether the department should provide services to those beyond school age at the risk of hindering core school programs. The answer is no — which is why the plan presented to the board yesterday heads in the right direction. It would require that adult students who now pay nothing at all to pay $175 for enrollment in a GED diploma class and $20 for each of five required study units to obtain competency-based diploma. English-language classes would also cost $20. While many of these same people are struggling during the current economy, those are small amounts to pay for job eligibility. The fees would bring into the system about $880,000, according to the principals.

Raelene Chock, principal of Farrington Community School, fears that the fees will drive away one-fourth of the students at her school, which includes many low-income people. She points out that those students now pay for books and tests, so the fees will be on top of those expenses. That would be a shame and hopefully is an exaggeration, given the importance that present enrollees must place on the opportunity.

The proposed fees for adult students are far from enough to make up for the cuts during this stagnant economy. However, it is a realistic element in helping the Department of Education make up a $32.8 million budget reduction over the next two fiscal years. As difficult as the fees may be for some adults needing a high school diploma, they are vital to keep the program functioning.

The general public is being asked to invest in the program; those who use it should invest, too.