The state's kaiapuni schools are poised to get funding from the Legislature for 13 full-time positions.
House and Senate lawmakers agreed Friday on a measure to appropriate more than $3.5 million to fund three curriculum specialists and 10 teacher positions at kaiapuni, or Hawaiian language immersion, schools for the 2024-2025 school year.
The Hawai‘i Department of Education has 22 non-charter kaiapuni schools, which have grown since their creation in the 1980s and are gaining traction across the state for Hawaiian language education.
According to the DOE, the kaiapuni schools have increased from eight to 22 in the last decade. Student enrollment has also increased from 1,000 to over 2,300.
The measure needs a full floor vote in both chambers before it heads to the governor’s office for final approval.
If signed into law, House Bill 2074 would take effect July 1.
