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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 12, 2003

DOE tells legislators how cuts will hurt

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

The House Finance Committee was told by Department of Education officials yesterday that the $25 million in cuts Gov. Linda Lingle wants over the next 2 1/2 years could severely hinder efforts to hire teachers.

The cuts also could hurt programs such as A-Plus after-school care and even restrict the DOE's ability to purchase items as basic as toilet paper, the legislators were told.

Besides the basic cuts amounting to $3 million in the fiscal year that ends June 30 and $11 million in each of the following years, education officials say they are worried about the proposed deletion of $90 million in repair and maintenance money from the capital improvements budget and the need to find $15 million more for programs for students with autism.

Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto told lawmakers that specific cuts have not yet been determined by the DOE and the Board of Education.

Those cuts would come on top of a $13.7 million reduction in the current year and $7.2 million slashed last year, which resulted in the loss of school-level programs Hamamoto said that while $25 million may not appear to be much from a $1.8 billion budget for the next two fiscal years, 85 percent of that money goes toward salaries, which cannot be cut. "That means 15 percent of the budget will take the $25 million reduction," she said.

One potential area of cutting is A-Plus, which may need to stop its operations before the school year ends in June. While Lingle administration members have expressed unhappiness with that option, Hamamoto said yesterday that her agency sees little choice but to take money from the program, which is not a core initiative of the department.

She stressed that DOE officials, however, have agreed to make it a priority to find enough money to keep A-Plus running through the end of the school year.

Hamamoto noted that some of the cuts recommended by the administration would have reduced the number of school safety managers who could have been hired, diverted spending intended for regular schools and directing it toward charter programs, and cut money targeted for school restroom supplies.

Another area of concern for Hamamoto is the administration's hiring freeze. If the DOE is not given clearance to fill positions that are paid for in part by the federal government, she said, it could be in danger of losing the dollars allocated.

Meanwhile, Hamamoto said her agency has asked the governor's office for an emergency appropriation for autism services but has not yet heard back from the administration.

DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen said responsibility for the program was transferred from the Health Department this year but it came with only partial financial support.

House Finance Committee Chairman Dwight Takamine, D-1st (N. Hilo, Hamakua, N. Kohala), said the testimony by DOE officials showed clearly that the proposed cuts would severely hurt programs. Takamine said his committee would look for ways to restore the money.

Said freshman Rep. Glenn Wakai, D-31st (Salt Lake, Tripler), of the DOE budget: "Rather than being on the cutting edge of change, I think it's on the cutting board of change."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.