Posted on: Sunday, January 26, 2003

EDITORIAL
Somebody has to save state A-Plus program

We can't rave enough about the benefits of Hawai'i's A-Plus after-school campus program, which provides a safe place for latch-key kids.

But every time the state Department of Education is forced to make cuts, A-Plus finds itself dangerously close to the guillotine. And unfortunately, it's easy to see why.

In the words of Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto: "A-Plus is a valuable program ... but it is basically a childcare program and not instructional." Private day care providers who operate A-Plus programs might disagree. Many offer educational components and provide tutoring, such as help with homework.

But as Gov. Linda Lingle demands that all state department heads trim, trim, trim, the popular A-Plus program — at least from the standpoint of the DOE — is looking awfully like fat.

And that's too bad for low-income working parents who depend on the A-Plus system to make a living while ensuring their children are not roaming around after school unsupervised, possibly picking up bad habits.

So we urge the state Legislature to find a way to keep the A-Plus program alive. If the DOE can't justify it as it struggles to protect instructional programs from budget cuts, then come up with a separate appropriation. Supporting education also requires supporting parents in their efforts to educate their kids and keep them out of trouble.