Bush cuts would affect Hawaiian schools' budgets

By Janis L. Magin
Associated Press

Parents of preschool children enrolled in a program that gives them homework assignments to complete together are sure to be disappointed by President Bush's proposed budget for Native Hawaiian education, the school's director said yesterday.

Keiki O Ka Aina Preschool is one of many Hawai'i schools that stand to lose next year under the president's proposed education budget, which cuts spending for Native Hawaiian education programs by 40 percent.

The O'ahu preschool, which serves 500 children in parent-child participation programs around the island, receives 100 percent of its money from the federal grants. If that is cut, services will suffer, said program director Momi Durand.

"There's going to be a lot of sad parents," she said. "When they start, people come. So few people miss every week."

Under the president's spending plan submitted to Congress, education for Native Hawaiians would receive $18 million for fiscal year 2003, 40 percent less than the $30 million the programs are to receive during the current fiscal year.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, author of the 1988 Native Hawaiian Education Act, said yesterday he is unhappy with the president's request, spokeswoman Sandi Skousen said. Inouye said he will work to try to bring it up to last year's level, she said.

Keiki O Ka Aina received $683,794 for the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, according to Inouye's office.

Coupled with a concurrent grant, the 6-year-old program has a budget of $800,000 for this year, a figure Durand hopes will rise to $900,000 next year.

The federal money also is used for programs at the University of Hawai'i and at the community colleges on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island

"We're disappointed in the president's budget proposal in this area," said Michael Rota, vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Hawai'i community colleges. "We've worked hard as community colleges over the past 10 years, with support from organizations such as Alu Like, on the enrollment and retention of Hawaiian students so that they are now at 17 percent of enrollment, up from 10 percent."

Although income is not an issue for the Hawaiian programs, "The reality is, if you look at where poverty is in our community, it's in the Hawaiian community," Rota said.

The proposed cuts won't affect Hawai'i's largest private school.

Kamehameha Schools, whose mission under the 1884 will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop is to educate Hawaiian children, used to receive about $2 million a year from the federal government, but no longer applies for federal grants, said spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.

Hamilton McCubbin, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools, said yesterday that educating Native Hawaiian children should remain a high priority for the federal government.