Posted on: Friday, February 21, 2003

School-board plan may cost $6M a year

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

NANAKULI — A proposal by the Lingle administration to decentralize the education system and create seven district school boards could cost taxpayers in excess of $6 million each year, an official said yesterday.

Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto provided that estimate to the Board of Education at its meeting at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School. Hamamoto said the estimate was based on the requirements laid out in Senate Bill 1336, which would replace the current statewide school system with locally elected school boards.

The board and Hamamoto have come out against the measure, which was proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle. In her State of the State address, Lingle said the school system was "broken" and she said no other state has a centralized system.

Hamamoto said yesterday that based on "conservative" estimates, the state would need to spend between $6 million and $7 million to create the local school boards. She also disagreed with Lingle that the current system is seriously flawed and said seven school districts would make it difficult to carry out policy decisions.

"There have been some very tough issues and the board has always made decisions that benefit all the kids across the state," Hamamoto said.

The largest cost would be to pay for the 105 staff positions needed to operate the new offices. Hamamoto said seven school boards would cost about $6 million to operate, compared to the current DOE administration cost of $402,526.

She said that the $6 million estimate is based on "the low end of the scale" and does not include benefits and negotiated wage increases.

Hamamoto added that the cost could rise to $7 million if office space isn't available in state buildings to house the new offices and money is needed to lease space.

Other expenses would include $71,665 for travel, and $66,850 for office supplies, meals, equipment and other fees, she said.

Board member Karen Knudsen said she felt the cost estimate was not high enough.

"We're not talking just boards of education, we're talking about seven departments of education," Knudsen said. "For each of these boards you would need a personnel office."

SB 1336 has been referred to the Education and Ways and Means committees. No hearings are scheduled on the bill.