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State agencies have been put on alert that deeper budget cuts may be coming, as the Legislature confronts potential costs to Hawaii that could reach $1 billion for recovery from the Maui wildfires.
An uncertain share of that total may ultimately come from federal sources, but to be prepared, senators in charge of budgeting have directed state departments to prepare two proposals: one for a 10% cutback, and one for 15%. At the Department of Education, with a roughly $2 billion budget, that would amount to a slash of $213 million or $320 million — or alarmingly, the salaries of about 3,000 teachers.
