No doubt: Whenever there’s a fee increase, it makes things that much harder for families to make ends meet. So there was a slight pause upon hearing about a proposed fee increase for the A+ After-School Program, necessary though it is to sustain the solid program.

The monthly rate would increase from $85 to $120 over three years, under the state Department of Education’s plan. Still, for working families with few options for their elementary-school children, A+ offers a good, safe alternative to latchkey kids or those simply too young to be home alone. Nearly 20,000 kids annually use the program at 180 school sites.

There is concern that the rate hike will dip enrollment. But even at an average $6 per day under the increase, A+ still offers a good deal. As with anything else when it comes to budgeting, it’s a matter of priorities.

Comment on Navy sonar training

The Navy’s use of sonar in the Pacific represents a difficult balancing of interests — vital training to detect enemy submarines versus protecting marine mammals. In the wake of a legal challenge, the Navy is preparing a new environmental impact statement on the effects of sonar training and testing after 2018. You can comment on the EIS at hstteis.com or by attending an informational meeting at Island School Main Hall on Kauai Dec. 3 or at Keehi Lagoon Memorial on Oahu Dec. 5. Or by regular mail, by Jan. 12, to:

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134. Attention: HSTT EIS/OEIS Project Manager.