Hawaii

Hawaii is a single school district state operating under the direction of a Board of Education with members appointed by the governor. Funds are distributed from the state level to local schools using a weighted formula that provides a dollar amount per student and additional funds for certain categories of students such as English Language Learners (ELL) and socioeconomically challenged students. Hawaii's funding includes an operating budget for expenses related to running the schools and a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for expenses related to maintaining and upgrading facilities. The major funding source for the operating budget comes from the general fund (82 percent) which is primarily state tax revenue. However, there is no property tax fund or prescribed formula for allocating funds to schools. The P-12 system is comprised of 292 schools including 37 public charter schools. The higher education system is comprised of 16 public and private non-profit postsecondary institutions, including the University of Hawaii's 10 system sites. The tourism and construction industries are major contributors to Hawaii's economy and pre-pandemic were projected to show 4 percent revenue growth until F Y24.¹ Tourism is taking a hit due to COVID 19 travel restrictions with monthly passengers down from 30,235 in January of 2020 to 1,699 in September² making it unlikely that the pre-pandemic projections will be met.

Funding priorities for p-12

One of the goals in the Hawaii Department of Education strategic plan is to increase the number of working age adults with a 2-year or 4-year college degree. Funding the Early College program continues to be a priority with $1 million budgeted, which allows high school students to earn college credits, and the Hawaii Promise Scholarship Program with $700,000 budgeted, which provides financial support for students from qualifying families to attend community colleges at no cost.

Changes to funding formula for p-12 and/or higher education

Hawaii's budget runs on a fiscal biennial basis that is submitted in odd-numbered years and a supplemental budget of new proposals in the even-numbered years. The FY 19-21 budget of $2.1 billion covers school expenses and a separate $565 million for the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget to maintain facilities. The P-12 school system is designated to receive $150 million for building new schools, and repair and maintenance costs while the University system is budgeted for $120 million. Hawaii is the top state when it comes to funding higher education funding 77 cents for every $1000 its residents earn.³

Pressing state issues

The numbers of socioeconomically challenged and homeless students (50 percent of the school's population) and "military-impacted"communities with 8 percent of the school's total population, are stressing the state's social resources along with the increasing costs of goods and services (22 percent since 2008). The state is experiencing a teacher shortage, especially in rural and remote areas. Salaries must compete with those on the mainland where living expenses are often lower and salaries higher. Hawaii teachers are represented by the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HTS). The organization secured an agreement with the state for a four-year contract that would include teacher pay raises each year for four years beginning in 2017. Budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a request to suspend the pay raises but the request was tabled. Hawaii's portion of the CARES Act Grant was $43,385,229. The majority of the CARES Act funds are allocated for summer learning programs, purchasing student learning devices, and increasing connectivity for students and staff.⁴

Exclusive to p-12: what are the alternatives to traditional public school offered by your state? what does the trend in funding look like for these alternatives?

Of the 292 public schools in Hawaii, 36 are charter schools with large numbers of students also attending private schools. Charter schools continue to grow and receive funding including the latest addition, DreamHouse Ewa Beach.

Total dollar amount for hawaii's per pupil expenditure (excluding local and federal funding)?

Hawaii is ranked 15th in...