Among the many perks of living in Hawaii, an inspiring public school system is — regrettably — not one that readily comes to mind. A shame considering the high cost of living residents must pay, with disproportionately low salaries, into taxes that are subsequently invested heftily in the educational system.
Lawmakers, officials and local advocates agree changes must be made to nudge the state Department of Education (DOE) toward delivering better student outcomes and a more equitable future for all keiki. So expectations are high as Gov. Josh Green plans to set aside $2.62 billion — not including non-recurring expense adjustments — in fiscal 2026 for education, equating to a 14.6% slice of the statewide operating budget pie. By department, DOE’s outlay is third only to Human Services ($4.39 billion) and Budget and Finance ($4.21 billion). Green’s proposed biennium budget calls for education-earmarked funds to rise to $2.78 billion in fiscal 2027.
The plan allots $94 million each year toward programs including Summer Learning Hubs, Advanced Placement classes and Hawaiian language immersion programs. Critical summer learning programs, which enable catch-up study and augmented educational opportunities, would cost nearly $21 million a year. Other additions to the budget include $15 million yearly for increased electricity costs, $10 million annually for nursing services and $5 million yearly for security enhancements meted out by the Department of Law Enforcement’s SaferWatch Program.
Effectively applying billions of dollars in funds when and where they are needed has been, and continues to be, a challenge for DOE leadership. A recent example was the school bus fiasco that saw 147 routes on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island suspended due to foreseeable staffing problems, leaving nearly 3,000 students stranded days before the start to this school year. There are fundamental flaws in DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi’s camp that must be addressed, and quickly.
According to DOE’s Strive HI statewide report, student proficiency in language arts and math held steady at a respective 52% and 40% between 2023 and 2024. Science proficiency saw a one-point bump to 41%, as did on-time high school graduation at 86%. Academic growth, defined as the “percent of students making ‘typical’ or better student growth” from the prior year based on Smarter Balanced Assessment results, shows a 1% decline in language arts and a 5% decline in math, to a respective 58% and 59% overall. While areas of gain are laudable, reflecting diligence by educators and students alike, drops in competency, especially in two foundational learning areas, illustrate a need for improvement.
Results will be expected under proposed expansion of the Executive Office on Early Learning, which adds 58 permanent positions and $5 million in fiscal 2026, to be followed by another 108 positions and $8.24 million in 2027. This tranche of funds is part of the Ready Keiki plan, an ambitious initiative spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke that seeks to set future learners up for success by greatly expanding their access to child care and preschool. Through public and private partnerships, Ready Keiki hopes to open 465 classrooms, complete with a force of trained teachers, to deliver preschool to all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2032.
Green’s budget tees up substantive institutional reinforcement, from pre-K through high school and beyond — so DOE, led by Hayashi, must show clear returns on that investment. On that issue, efforts must be made to provide easily-digestible performance metrics to the public. Hawaii’s expenditure is simply too significant to not be accompanied by a transparent accounting of results. As it stands, Strive HI deals in the vagaries of proficiency and growth without providing, at a glance, the black-and-white metrics used to calculate those attributes. Concrete performance data is needed, preferably aggregate school grading and comparison with nationwide averages.
In a time of economic uncertainty, DOE must be shrewd with its budget, learn from losses and build on wins to architect a stronger, more resilient Hawaii. There is no shortage of lessons to learn for Hawaii’s schools.
