Editorial: $200M would give pre-K a big boost

House Bill 2000, now on the governor’s desk, appropriates $200 million to construct or repurpose preschool facilities. It’s a significant step forward for Hawaii, which has long wrestled with the logistics of providing pre-kindergarten.

The money goes to the School Facilities Authority, created to plan and carry out school construction projects. Stakes are high: The state has committed to make pre-K and early childhood care in Hawaii available to all 3- and 4-year-olds who need it, by 2032.

It’s the School Facilities Authority’s responsibility to leverage this money so that it can provide as much classroom space as possible, with careful planning and cost controls. As decisions are made about spending and locations for projects, the authority must keep the public informed each step of the way.

There is unity among stakeholders in supporting this push — for now. Ongoing cooperation will be necessary between the School Facilities Authority, responsible for building, and the Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL), responsible for staffing and directing the programs. Also key: coordination with the state Department of Education, or whatever state entity owns land eyed for a pre-K site.

In 2020, Hawaii set goals for the expansion of pre-K with Act 46. The act includes the expectation that the state will provide subsidies and support programs that make pre-K accessible for families in financial need and who live in less-served areas, as a priority.

In July, Act 46 provisions will take effect to help spell out what’s needed. Assessments will be required for students entering charter school kindergartens, and information about early learning program attendance will be gathered from students entering public kindergarten.

HB 2000 allows the School Facilities Authority to spend the $200 million on building new preschools, renovating, improving and expanding existing school structures to hold pre-K students, and “any other costs” the authority finds necessary to increase student capacity.

There is still plenty to work out, and much we don’t know.

The State Public Charter School Commission offered its strong support for this spending, “in hopes” that public charter schools will be included as sites for the adding or expanding of preschool facilities.

Sylvia Luke, chairwoman of the House Finance Committee, told the Star-Advertiser editorial board on Wednesday that she expects the funding can be used to add pre-K classrooms at charter school locations, as well as on other suitable state properties, such as libraries, or even Halawa’s Aloha Stadium redevelopment site. As the School Facilities Authority begins to scope out locations, the public will want to know where, how and why choices are made.

The need is certainly here. Before the pandemic, fewer than 1 in 4 children in Hawaii attended early learning programs, a 2020 report found.

Luke cites data showing that about 20,000 children need access to pre-K. Building out classrooms to serve this many children by 2032 would cost about $2 billion by 2020 estimates — or $200 million for each of the next 10 years. If we want to see the state meet its goals, this first tranche of money must be used smartly, and the Legislature will have to continue funding.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association supports HB 2000, as do social service agencies and business interests such as the Hawaii Business Roundtable. Early care strengthens Hawaii’s communities by supporting the development of children under 5. It also supports the labor force by providing families with affordable child care options.

The state’s commitment to provide accessible, effective pre-K has been a long time coming, and we urge Gov. David Ige to sign HB 2000. We then expect the School Facilities Authority to meet the state’s high hopes, with transparency and efficiency, while Hawaii’s leaders continue oversight and support in the years to come.