Big Island schools risk delays as state cuts supplemental requests

State Superintendent Keith Hayashi is briefing the Hawaiʻi Board of Education today on a tightening fiscal 2026-27 outlook and a supplemental budget request that faces reductions, a development that threatens timely repairs and key programs for Big Island schools. Hayashi laid out the Department of Education’s supplemental priorities and warned that recent adjustments to the governor’s executive supplemental operating budget have trimmed some of the department’s asks.

Hayashi reviewed priority areas in the supplemental request, including funding for math instructional coaches, expansion of school food capacity through regional kitchens, critical infrastructure and repairs, and positions tied to health and safety mandates. He told the board that shifting federal funding streams and newer state revenue projections have altered the mix of dollars available, forcing the department to re-evaluate how to protect classroom services while keeping buildings safe and operational.

For neighbor-island districts like Big Island County, Hayashi emphasized that repairs and program expansions are not optional upgrades but core equity needs. Many schools outside Oʻahu rely on the supplemental request to address deferred maintenance, kitchen upgrades that support meal programs, and staffing required by health and safety rules. Reduced allocations could delay roof and HVAC repairs, push back regional kitchen timelines, and limit the number of instructional coaches that help students meet statewide math goals.

Hayashi described plans to press legislative committees for the department’s remaining priorities as lawmakers work through the supplemental operating budget. He framed the effort as a negotiation among competing statewide needs, noting that items tied to mandated health and safety positions must be balanced against classroom supports and capital repairs across all islands. The superintendent warned that the changing federal funding landscape adds uncertainty to multi-year planning for positions funded in part by grants.

The implications for families and school staff are immediate. Delays in infrastructure work can disrupt learning by causing temporary relocations, shortened schedules, or reduced meal services. Reduced funding for math coaches could affect schools that are already struggling to close achievement gaps. For communities that depend on school meal programs, regional kitchens represent both food security and labor efficiencies; setbacks there will be felt in cafeterias and home kitchens alike.

As the legislature considers the governor’s revised budget, Hayashi says the department will advocate directly with committee members to protect priority items. For Big Island residents, the next steps to watch are budget committee hearings and any amendments that restore funding for repairs, regional food operations, and staff tied to student health and safety. The outcome will determine whether island schools move forward with critical repairs and program expansions this year or face further delays that compound existing inequities.