Schatz: Education Secretary agrees to avoid cuts to Native Hawaiian Education Program

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke with US Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Thursday, reiterating his request that the department avoid cuts to the Native Hawaiian Education Program.

In response, McMahon agreed to keep the program fully funded for current grant recipients for at least another year, which guarantees $46 million in federal funding secured by Schatz in Congress will continue to flow to the more than 60 early childhood education sites across Hawai‘i and sustain other critical education programs, including home visiting for children under 5, workforce development for parents, and Hawaiian language immersion programs. The federally funded programs serve more than 3,000 Hawai‘i families.

“This is good news for Hawai‘i. This money helps thousands of young kids develop learning skills and gives Native Hawaiian families more affordable child care options,” said Schatz, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “I’m grateful to Secretary McMahon for working with us to protect this funding and will continue fighting every day to make sure Hawai‘i gets its fair share of federal dollars.” 

The agreement follows threats of cuts to Native Hawaiian programs across the federal government, according to Schatz. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz has been leading efforts to protect funding for Hawai‘i.