Public schools serving low-income students in Hawaii will receive more than $56.5 million in federal funding for the 2021-22 school year to support teacher professional development, additional educators, new technology and other academic programs, announced U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz earlier this week.
Hawaii County will receive $14.1 million.
According to a news release from Schatz’s office, the funds will be given directly to Title I schools — where a disproportionate number of students live in poverty — and will benefit nearly 85,000 students in Hawaii.
“This new federal funding will help Hawaii public schools in low-income areas hire more teachers and offer more academic support programs for students in need,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As we rebuild our economy after this pandemic, we’ll keep working to make sure every kid can get a quality education in our state.”
Authorized under Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I funding is the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education in the country.
The grants provide financial assistance to school districts for services that improve teaching and learning for children at risk of not meeting academic achievement requirements.
In addition to the Hawaii County allocation, the City and County of Honolulu will receive $33.7 million, Kauai County will receive $2.2 million and Maui County will receive $6.3 million.