Panel urges $26.5 million funding boost for schools

Hawaii public schools could see a boost in funding next school year under a committee’s recommendation to increase the state’s pot of per-pupil funding by $26.5 million.

More than 50 percent of the Department of Education’s general-fund budget goes toward the so-called weighted student formula. This year, the funding amounts to $826.8 million based on enrollment of about 173,000 students. Principals have discretion over the funds, which are mainly used for payroll. They can also cover special projects and programs or supplies and equipment. (School utilities, student transportation and food services are handled centrally.)

The formula assigns "weights" to students based on their needs so that schools with higher enrollments of economically disadvantaged, special-education or other special-needs students will get more of the money along with schools with higher populations of English-language learners and transient students. Schools also get a set amount of base funds — ranging from $259,524 for elementary schools to $525,024 for K-12 combination schools — from the pot.

The Committee on Weights, which meets every other year to determine how the funds should be allocated to schools, is not recommending any categories be added to the weighted student formula this year, the committee’s chairwoman told the Board of Education on Tuesday.

But the committee recommended the base funding provided to the state’s five K-12 combination schools be increased, said Suzanne Mulcahy, who served a third time as chairwoman of the committee. The change would provide an extra $148,024 for each of the schools.

Mulcahy said while the formula is intended to address equity, school leaders told the committee the funds are not adequate. In response, the committee recommended the Board of Education seek a 2 percent increase to the existing per-pupil funds legislators have appropriated for the 2016-17 school year, or $16.5 million more, "to address inflationary pressures on schools." The committee also recommended the board seek an additional $10 million to further support schools with English Language Learner programs.

"The reality is we have to address the adequacy issue," she said. "In the past we hadn’t gone out to hear from the principals. They’re all saying it’s not adequate, it’s not enough."

The board voted unanimously to accept the committee’s recommendations. DOE officials said they will incorporate the increases into the department’s budget request for the upcoming year.

"In order to provide the innovation or the flexibility for schools, schools are saying that they need more resources and they want the resources to come through the weighted student formula to give them the maximum flexibility," said BOE Vice Chairman Brian De Lima.