Hawaii Adjusts to Decreased State Revenues
Two departments in state government have announced cuts to bring their budgets in line with state allotments, and both will affect Hawaii Kai.
The Hawaii School Board approved $227M in cuts, including salaries. The Board of Education approved a plan yesterday that includes about $117 million in yet-to-be negotiated labor savings — from potential pay cuts to furloughs of teachers and administrators.
The plan, which trims a total of $227 million from the $1.8 billion school system budget, includes a 5 percent across-the-board cut to school-level programs, a reduction of part-time workers and slashing of school-level funding.
How to get the $117.4 million in labor savings will be determined through ongoing contract negotiations.
Labor unions — including the Hawaii State Teachers Association — are expected to meet with education officials and state negotiators in another round of talks on Monday, said HSTA President Will Okabe.
The budget reductions also include about $40 million in nonschool-level funding cuts approved by the board in October, about $16 million through a 5 percent cut in school supplies and equipment and about $630,000 in savings from the closure of Wailupe Valley School.
Hawaii Kai has four public schools in the BOE system: Kaiser High, Hahaione Elementary, Koko Head Elementary, and Kamiloiki Elementary. Wailupe Valley is outside the geographic boundaries of Hawaii Kai.
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In more budget cutting, proposed Hawaii library cuts include closing 5 branches, and furloughs will be considered. Although the Hawaii Kai library is not on the list for closure, services will be curtailed. The 5 being considered are Holualoa on Big Island, Pahala on Big Island, Kealakekua on Big Island, Ewa Beach on Oahu, and Hana on Maui.
BOE also oversees the library system. The list of potential library closures was determined after "extensive analysis" of staffing vacancies, low circulation and usage, and geographical proximity to neighboring branches, among other factors, said State Librarian Richard Burns.
Also included in the budget reduction plan is about $1.3 million in labor savings, which will need to be negotiated with labor unions. The library system also plans to save some $2.2 million through the elimination of 67 vacant positions.
"We simply cannot continue to operate in the same way we have been for the past several years due to these significant budget reductions," Burns told board members.
Read more at the Honolulu Advertiser.