Column: Fight to fund Hawaii public schools continues to be outstanding issue

Recently, news hit the state proclaiming that Hawaii is at the top in the nation for public school spending. At first glance, one would think how great it is for schools to be investing so much in Hawaii’s youth compared to other states in the nation — but issues continue to plague our education system.

Data from the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) show that Hawaii is ranked 15th in the nation for highest overall public school spending, however, this is a misleading statistic. When accounting for Hawaii’s cost of living and the fact that we are the only state to not receive county funding, Hawaii is actually one of the lowest for spending.

In addition to low spending, we are also the lowest in the nation for education expenditure. This is the amount of money an institution uses to pay for student welfare services such as meals, school health services and transportation to and from school.

These services are crucial in providing students a nurturing and comfortable environment. There is no denying HIDOE has extended their efforts on school lunches in the past few years, working with Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs and the Department of Agriculture to provide local food and ingredients, but efforts should not stop there.

Apart from health and well-being, students equally deserve the best possible resources for them to thrive academically, including educators equipped to inspire and nurture students’ growth.

It is one thing to read a book and soak in information but another to be guided and inspired by people who have a passion for teaching.

While it is known that teachers are a critical part of education, there is also a general consensus that they are one of the most underpaid professions out there. Teachers are bogged by financial restraints, inevitably relegating them to tap into their own personal funds, or feel so undercompensated that they leave the profession altogether.

Last year, the HIDOE reported a troubling 51% teacher retention rate, the percentage of new hires retained after just five years.

Sports, new facilities and extracurricular activities are often at the forefront of funding. Although great features to any school, there are not many efforts tackling the ongoing issue of underpaid educators and underfunded student support from the state.

Fighting for this exact reason is the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), whose longstanding mission is to support the professional roles of teachers and advocate for their interests in educating Hawaii’s youth.

In recent years, the HSTA initiated a bill that would allow people to vote to help fund Hawaii public schools, knowing that 70% of people in Hawaii believe that funding should be increased for public schools, and even more for teachers. Unfortunately, the unclear wording regarding the bill led to the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision to rule it invalid — and so the fight continues.

In spite of the meaningful amount of work they do, teachers are still being underwhelmingly compensated, while public schools lack the funding to provide support and services that could aid in a student’s mental, emotional and physical well-being.

Hawaii may be seen as 15th in the nation for public school spending, but after digging deeper, the harsh reality is that Hawaii does not fund its education system properly.

Patricia Cambe is a Waipahu High School student, class of 2020.