As Hawaiian language immersion schools gain traction in the state, so do the demands for funding.
A group of teachers, administrators and community members met over the summer to discuss alternative funding options for the Kaiapuni schools, which exclusively teach the Hawaiian language.
Leimomi Ka’aihili Leong, who teaches special education at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue on Oʻahu, said funding has remained stagnant as the programs are expanding and adding more grade levels.
“There's an increasing demand,” said Leong, who sat on the Committee on Weights. “There’s actually more schools every year that are opening or having the discussion about opening.”
The Hawaiʻi Department of Education has 22 non-charter Kaiapuni schools, which started in the 1980s. At these schools, English is introduced in the fifth grade.
According to a September report for the Board of Education, the programs have faced challenges filling vacancies with qualified teachers, of which there are currently 45 vacant positions.
Leong said some positions are filled by certified or licensed teachers, and others are emergency hires or long-term substitutes.
“When you have an immersion school, within an English medium school, there's a lot more resources that are needed and professional development that are different,” Leong said. “So having an art teacher that can't speak Hawaiian, it actually doesn’t protect the integrity of the immersion philology in keeping the kids immersed in the Hawaiian language for a majority of the day.”
Under the DOE, the Office of Hawaiian Education receives $3.1 million a year to fund Hawaiian learning. Of that money, $2.9 million is allocated for positions across the programs.
Nearly all 258 public schools get a certain amount of funds based on the total number of students enrolled. This funding mechanism is called the weighted student formula, created in 2006.
However, the formula doesn’t apply to the Kaiapuni programs. Instead, the schools receive categorical funds — which is “money set aside that’s earmarked for certain programs,” Leong said.
A September report from the Committee on Weights to the BOE asked if funding for Kaiapuni schools should be changed to the weighted student formula as the programs do not receive additional federal funds.
Last month, the BOE voted to keep the financing status quo. The board approved the committee’s recommendation to seek additional funding through the state Legislature.
