Posted on: Tuesday, May 8, 2001

Editorial
Where the budget is coming up short

Among other places, this year's strained state budget is coming up short in Kapolei. Because of public worker pay raises in a very tight budget year, a number of important state projects are left still holding their hands out.

At Kapolei High School, lawmakers were only able to budget $18.4 million out of a needed $22 million for continued construction of the Kapolei High School.

That means a new high school with freshmen and sophomores in it, but no gym or lockers rooms or showers.

It also means a Kapolei Public Library with no books or staff.

It's no one's fault, though. Not in the short run. There simply wasn't enough money available during this year's legislative session to do everything lawmakers wanted to do.

Longer term, though, it signals a problem we've been warning of for years, now:

State government in Hawai'i continues to be somewhat larger than the economy that must support it can manage. Given an atmosphere of continuing shortage, educational facilities and resources must receive our top priority.