The Hawaii Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a ballot question asking voters if they want to amend the Hawaii Constitution to allow the state to tax property in support of public education.
The ruling, in part, said: “The ballot question as written does not comply with the requirements” of Hawaii Revised Statues, “which provides in relevant part, ‘that the language and meaning of the ballot question be clear and not misleading.’ Accordingly, it is therefore ordered that the ballot question is declared invalid. The Chief Election Officer shall issue a public proclamation stating that the ballot question is invalid and that any votes for or against the measure will not be counted and will have no impact.”
Corey Rosenlee, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said they were disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling. He said it has been a multi-year fight to fund our schools and get the constitutional amendment proposal on the ballot.
“While we are sad about the ruling, there is still an urgent need that students have qualified teachers and sufficient school funding to provide our keiki with the learning environment they deserve,” he said in a press release. “The fight for our schools does not end with the Supreme Court ruling; all of Hawaii must ask that our elected leaders work to ensure that our schools are properly funded.”
Rosenlee said more than 1,000 classrooms lack a qualified teacher, have crumbling facilities, and too many of students are denied learning opportunities based on their special needs.
“We have heard throughout this campaign the loud voice of the community to improve our school,” he said. “While there might have been disagreements on the amendment itself, there is still the strong desire from our community to invest in education. As a community, we must strive to give our keiki the schools they deserve.”
House of Representatives Speaker Scott K. Saiki was also disappointed.
“It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court is not allowing the public to vote on this question after the Legislature vetted it over the past two years,” he said in a press release.
The Affordable Hawaii Coalition opposed the amendment, saying it would raise the cost of living for everyone and hurt businesses, without any guarantee of more money for education.
