Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, June 21, 2008
Kohala HS to lose $1832 per student
By Andrew Walden @ 4:43 AM :: 6310 Views :: Education K-12

The Department of Education has a special reward for Kohala High School.    Kohala is one of the few Big Island schools not deemed ‘failing’ under “No Child Left Behind” standards.  Under formulas used by the Board of Education under Act 51, successful schools are often punished by budget cuts. Kohala HS will be losing $500,000 in funding for the 2009-10 school year.

When Legislative Democrats blocked Governor Lingle’s 2004 proposal to break the State Department of Education into local school districts, they created the “weighted student formula” under Act 51 “Reinventing Education.”  The Board of Education’s “Committee on Weights” (COW) June 16 released its 2009-10 proposed spending figures for every school in the state.

The committee’s formula sets a fixed per-student value, then adds more money for students deemed ‘disabled’, low income students, and students whose first language is not English.   As a result schools lose money as they do better academically and school administrators have a perverse incentive to label as many children as possible ‘developmentally disabled’—a label which often is accompanied by a prescription for Ritalin or other psychoactive drugs.

Because Kohala is so successful at educating students, it’s 2008-09 funding of $8425 per student will be cut to $6593 in 2009-10.  The funding cuts amount to a loss of $1832 per student.  Kohala HS serves 273 students in the Hawi and Kapa`au area at the northern tip of the Big Island.  The next nearest school is 30 miles away in Waimea.

The DoE’s overall budget is $2.451 billion.  The system is projected to serve in 2008-09 only 173,142 students down from 181,335 in 2004-05.  The DoE budget averages out to $14,300 per student for 2008-09.

Under the formula, some schools receive much larger amounts than others.  Moloka`i Middle School with 144 students will see $9028 in per-student funding for 2009-10.  But Moloka`i HS will only get $6447.  Lana`i HS and Elementary with 563 students will get $6347.  Kealakehe HS in Kona will get $4799 per student.  Hilo High will get $4881, Pahoa $5825, Kea`au $5072, Ka`u $5646, Honoka`a, $5345, Laupahoehoe $7460, Konawaena, $5683. 

Large schools such as Farrington High School on O`ahu will be funded $5147 per student in 2009-10, but that is an 11% increase over the $4624 per student Farrington receives for the 2008-09 school year.

Patrick Walsh, a reform-oriented candidate for Herbert Watanabe’s BoE seat elected from Hawai`i, Maui and Kaua`i Counties pledged to “speak up for continuing support and equal funding for all schools regardless of their size or location.” 

Complete funding figures for every school in the state:
http://reach.k12.hi.us/empowerment/wsf/080515cowrec_sy0910_draft.pdf

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT