The Department of Education’s multimillion-dollar plan to provide all students with laptops or tablets was partially revived last week by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The House chose not to fund approximately $29 million Gov. Neil Abercrombie had requested for the project.

But the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday advanced a $23 billion two-year operating budget for the state that includes an additional $55 million in per-pupil funding in fiscal years 2014 and 2015.

The per-pupil funding, or weighted student formula, bases school funding on the needs of individual children, so that schools with higher enrollments of disadvantaged, special education or other special needs students will get more of the money.

The added money can be viewed as a nod to the DOE’s initiative to use laptop computers in schools, said Senate Education Chairwoman Jill Tokuda, who also sits on the Ways and Means Committee.

The initiative — tied in part to pledges the DOE made to secure its federal Race to the Top grant — would provide laptops loaded with course work that meets national math and English standards in elementary and secondary schools.

"We provided funds in the weighted student formula to reflect such things as the transition to the common core, and that could be used for the digital curriculum initiative," Tokuda said. "Also, to keep the whole digital curriculum discussion in play, we’ve put in a nominal placeholder. … We need to see what’s the most effective way to get resources to the schools — is it through the weight or do we need to look at another line item?"

DOE spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz said the department’s budget "is looking a bit better, but we still have a ways to go."

"We’re grateful to the Senate for adding back some of the things that were cut. Of course, it’s not our full ask, but at this point we’ll keep working at it," she said.