Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, but sometimes that invention comes out with a handicap.

The state faces such a handicap in its use of federal funds for the needy to push forward on a key facet of the governor's "innovation" plans: academies to enhance children's science and technology skills.

Gov. Linda Lingle's vision for academies to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is a good one — unfortunately it was given short shrift by the state Legislature. The funding commitment from lawmakers last session was limited to a pilot project on Kaua'i.

It was a disappointingly tempered response to what seemed an inspirational idea.

So the Lingle administration has responded with a formal partnership between two agencies enabling the use of funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Those two offices — the Department of Human Services and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism — signed a memorandum of agreement on a plan to spend about $3.6 million of TANF funds on a two-year, expanded program of up to eight academies for high school students.

One primary purpose of the academies — the reason the state business department is involved — is the development of a strong workforce educated in STEM skills that are needed for Hawai'i's future economy.

Using the TANF funds, which under federal law can be legally spent on youth development programs, is merely a stopgap strategy to get the academies rolling. But it's a far from perfect fit for social-service funding. It's primarily an educational program that needs to be evaluated on that basis, just the same as the two Kaua'i academies.

Administration officials had to resort to this creative but limited workaround because the Legislature left them little choice.

Preparing Hawai'i for the future requires innovation, and the academies could provide an important source of fuel. State lawmakers shouldn't approach innovation with such halting steps.

The state should proceed with the expanded academies blueprint, and next session the Legislature should consider ways to free up the money for these learning centers so they can blossom as they should.