School funding study passes to Legislature

Advertiser Staff

LAHAINA, Maui — The Board of Education last night gave cautious approval to a feasibility study on a weighted student formula to determine school funding.

During a meeting at Lahainaluna High School, several board members said they still had questions about the report, but voted to approve it and pass it along to the Legislature as a "work in progress."

A weighted student formula would direct money to schools based on student need, replacing the current system, which relies largely on enrollment. Higher dollar values would be assigned to students in early grades, where teacher-to-student ratios are lower, and at small schools, which have proportionally higher fixed costs.

Students requiring special education and English as a second language programs also would be given higher values.

The feasibility study's executive summary recommendations state that in order to implement the new formula, the BOE and Department of Education must have full authority to manage all resources for public education, including funding for services now performed by the Departments of Accounting and General Services, Budget and Finance, Health, and Human Resources Development.

The recommendations also say the governor and Legislature "must not dictate specific programs at the school level."

The study recommends that an implementation plan be developed by a committee of school administrators, teachers and curriculum specialists.