Feds clear grants for Native Hawaiians

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Educators whose programs benefit Hawaiians are celebrating now that a kink in the pipeline supplying them with federal money— an estimated $31 million for the next fiscal year — has been cleared.

The wheels of the federal government that churn out grants under the Native Hawaiian Education Act ground to a halt about a month ago. Top state officials believe the hang-up stemmed from concerns about the constitutionality of Hawaiian-only programs.

Attorney General Mark Bennett said he and Gov. Linda Lingle spoke by phone with officials in the Bush administration — in the White House, budget office and the education and justice departments — to persuade them that the grants had passed constitutional muster.

Bennett said none of the attorneys he consulted at the U.S. Department of Justice would give a detailed explanation about the delay in issuing grants, but added that "it was clear to me that there were some concerns ... over the constitutionality of these statutes."

"I got the word (Wednesday) that whatever problems there were have been cleared," he said.

Bennett said he made the case that Hawaiians-only programs were based not on race but on "a special trust relationship established between Native Hawaiians and the U.S."

"Congress has the right and plenary power to provide benefits to Native Hawaiians," he said.

Programs receiving these funds include Ka'ala Farm's Cultural Learning Center in Wai'anae Valley, the Hawaiian immersion program Aha Punana Leo, the early-education and parent-education services of Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Center and several University of Hawai'i programs.

The potential shutdown of these programs would affect people other than Hawaiians, said Momi Durand, executive director of the learning center, which she said targets serving Hawaiian communities but serves students and parents of other ethnicities as well.

"The worst thing that would have happened, families would have been dropped with no time for transition to other programs," Durand said.

The agency was told in May that the call for grant proposals for new projects had been delayed and that the usual request for annual reports on long-term projects — reports needed to get continuing grants renewed each year — also had been held up.

"I think that if we didn't have a Republican governor this time, this may not have turned around," said Vicky Draeger, the agency's early-childhood program director.

Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.