Monies will help educate students in economically disadvantaged communities
Posted: September 29, 2022
Hawaiʻi K–12 schools will receive more than $58 million in new federal funding for the 2022–23 school year, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D, Hawaiʻi) announced Thursday. Funds will go directly toward Title I schools, or schools in economically disadvantaged communities, to fund new technology, teacher professional development, additional educators, and other academic programs.
This year’s funding is an increase of more than $1.6 million from the 2021–22 school year. It includes:
- $36 million for the City and County of Honolulu
- $13.9 million for Hawai‘i County
- $5.8 million for Maui County
- $2.4 million for Kaua‘i County
“These new funds will be used to hire more teachers, expand academic programs, and help more students get a quality education,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Title I funding is the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education in the country. Based on a variety of factors such as per-pupil expenditures, poverty, and population estimates, these grants provide financial assistance to school districts for services that improve the teaching and learning of children at risk of not meeting academic achievement requirements.
Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui, Jr. said, “So many of our schools that serve some of our neediest students rely on Title I funding to be able to provide for our keiki. We appreciate the work that has been done to significantly increase the amount of Title I funding that will be available to Hawaiʻi schools this year.”
The Hawai‘i State Department of Education expects to receive these funds by Oct. 1.