Maui County public schools get more than $5.8M to support low-income communities

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today announced that Hawai‘i K-12 schools will receive $58,193,270 in new federal funding for the 2022-2023 school year to support programs aimed at helping educate students in low-income communities.

These funds will go toward new technology, teacher professional development, additional educators, and other academic programs. Title I schools, where a disproportionate number of students live in poverty, will be the direct recipients of this money. 

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 Hawai‘i County
• $5,826,659 for Maui County
• $2,432,619 for Kaua‘i County

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

Authorized under Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I funding is the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education in the country. Based on a variety of factors such as per-pupil expenditures, poverty, and population estimates, these grants provide financial assistance to school districts for services that improve the teaching and learning of children at risk of not meeting academic achievement requirements. The Hawai‘i Department of Education expects to receive these funds by Oct. 1, 2022.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz is leading efforts to boost funding for public schools in Hawai‘i and across the country.