Schatz on $58 million for Hawaii K-12 low-income students: Funding will 'help more students get a quality education

Schools
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U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) | Brian Schatz/Facebook

Hawaii’s K-12 schools will receive $58 million in federal funding to support programs to help educate students in low-income communities.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced the new funding for the 2022-2023 school year.

The funds will go toward the acquisition and development of new technology, teacher professional development, additional educators and other academic programs; a recent press release from Schatz’s office said.

“These new funds will be used to hire more teachers, expand academic programs, and help more students get a quality education,” Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in the release.

Title I schools contain a large number of students who live in poverty and will be the direct recipients of the new funding. Title I funding is the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education in the U.S., and it is distributed based on such factors as per-pupil expenditures, population estimates and poverty levels.

The Hawaii Department of Education is expected to receive the funds by Oct. 1, the release said. This year’s funding is an increase of $1,675,317 from the 2021-2022 school year. It includes $36,031,788 for the City and County of Honolulu; $13,902,204 for Hawaii County; $5,826,659 for Maui County, and $2,432,619 for Kauai County.