Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 1998 — Hawaiian education battle looms ahead [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian education battle looms ahead

By Noelle Kahanu, Esq. AS THE 105th Congress draws to a close, recent actions in the House of Representatives have sent a clear message that Native Hawaiian education will face an uphill battle in the years ahead. In July, the House Committee on Appropriations recommended zero funding for the Native Hawaiian Education Act. The Act, whieh had received $18 million in the last fīscal year, funds programs for Native Hawaiian special education, higher education, programs for the gifted and talented, curriculum development, teacher training and recruitment, family-based pre-schools, community-based education centers and the Native Hawaiian Education Council. The House Committee expressed eoneem that specific, measurable student achievement standards for these programs had not been identified, nor had broader indicators of effectiveness been developed. Such information would include baseline data relating to the disparities facing Native Hawaiians and specific, measurable improvements expected to occur as a result of proposed funding. As in previous years, it will fall to the Senate to restore funding for Native Hawaiian education. (Largely through the efforts of senior senator Daniel K. Inouye, funding for Native Hawaiian education has nearly tripled in the last 5 years.) More recently, on Sept. 18, the House passed the Dollars to the Classroom Act. The bill is consistent with the Republican agenda of program eliminahon and eonsolidation in favor of block grants to the states. In an effort to streamline bureaucracy, the bill proposes to

consolidate 3 1 education programs and ehannel funds to the states in block grants, with the requirement that states provide 95 percent of the funds to loeal educational agencies for the improvement of classroom services and activities. The bill proposes to distribute the funds, totaling $2 hillion, to the states on a formula basis. Among the elementary and secondary education programs targeted for consolidation are Native Hawaiian education, Alaska Native education, gifted and tal-

ented education, arts in education, civic education and the Education for Homeless Children Program under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. According to the formula proposed in the bill, Hawai'i would lose more than 60 percent of its funds for education. This reduction is the direct result of the $18 million whieh would be lost under the Native

Hawaiian Education Act. In essence, the proposed bill eliminates the Native Hawaiian Education Act, and incorporates the Act's funds into a national pot to be shared by all states. While the bill still identifies educational programs for Native Hawaiians as an allowable activity, the reality is that Native Hawaiians would never see those funds. Representatives Mink and Abercrombie sponsored an amendment to exclude the Native Hawaiian Education Act from consolidation. The amendment failed narrowly by only seven votes. As for the bill itself, prospects for its passage in the Senate are extremely unlikely since the Senate has not exhibited any interest in the bill. As a consequence, the bill is essentially dead in this Congress, its passage in the House being more a function of politics than practicality. So, while neither of these bills poses an immediate threat to the Native Hawaiian Education Act, they clearly do not bode well for Native Hawaiian education in the upcoming Congress. The Act's authorization expires in 1999, and an extension would require a bill be brought to the House and Senate. Given the historieal laek of support for the Act in the House, such a bill's passage is likely to be difficult. # Native Hawaiians and others interested in preserving Native Hawaiian education programs and funding must prepare for the battle ahead. Such preparations should include the compilation and collection of data on the current status of Native Hawaiians educationally, and the benefits and achievements due to these programs whieh have impacted the lives of thousands of Native Hawaiian children and youths. We must eonīinue to strive to reach thousands more. ■

"While the bill still identifies educational programs for Native Hawaiians as an allowahle activity, the reality is that Native Hawaiians would never see those funds." — Noelle Kahanu

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