Hawaii Moves Forward With New School Finance Formula

In the face of controversy and lingering confusion, the Hawaii state board of education has voted to begin putting the state’s new system of school aid in place in the 2006-07 school year.

State legislation enacted last year called for such a “weighted-student formula.” The state board worked out the actual formula and approved it last month by 7-4 vote.

The plan is designed to target money to students’ specific learning needs and to give principals and school communities more control over spending on personnel, supplies, and other areas. Ultimately, state policymakers hope, when the money follows the child, schools will be better equipped to educate each student. While Hawaii will be the only state to completely convert its school finance system to a weighted-student formula, California and Colorado are studying the concept. School districts in San Francisco, Seattle, and other cities use or have used the school aid system, which was pioneered in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta. ( "‘Weighted’ Funding of Schools Gains Favor," ...