Public pressure prompts Board of Education to nix proposed Learning Center program cuts

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Faced with public pressure, the Board of Education decided not to cut funding from its Learning Center programs. Student advocates are celebrating a victory after a last-minute campaign.
Last night, Mililani High School performing arts students watched themselves on the news fighting to save the statewide Learning Centers, which help pay for after-school theater, robotics, agriculture and other programs.
On Thursday, they took school buses downtown to testify before a vote at the BOE meeting for a proposal would have cut $1.7 million from the Department of Education budget for 29 Learning Centers.
“We are not just numbers on a sheet. We affect society and that’s what we are here to do,” said Teah Vaoifi, Mililani High School student.
State Rep. Amy Perruso called the proposed budget cut “misguided” and “irresponsible.”
After widespread criticism, board members decided against the cut, saying its proposal was part of an effort to give more power over spending at the school level.
“The board feels this is not the appropriate time to change the way the Learning Centers are funded,” said Roy Takumi, Board of Education chair.
Takumi also said the BOE generally believes schools themselves should decide the economic, fiscal, and academic destiny of each school.
For most of the students who packed into the BOE boardroom, it was a first-time experience in testifying before a government board.
“This is my first time being at this building and doing anything like this. I think that’s really cool,” said Alexa Kamalani Grean, Mililani High School student.
“Our message is these learning center programs are really integral to our success and our community at the high school,” said Jayce Hasegawa, Mililani High School student.
This group says arts, robotics and other beloved programs are saved for now, and this was a lesson in advocacy outside the classroom.
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