A U.S. Supreme Court ruling yesterday upholding a school voucher program won’t have any impact on public schools or religious or private schools in Hawai’i at this time, according to Hawai’i educators. The 5-4 decision allows for taxpayer money to
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling yesterday upholding a school voucher program won’t have any impact on public schools or religious or private schools in Hawai’i at this time, according to Hawai’i educators.
The 5-4 decision allows for taxpayer money to underwrite tuition at private or parochial schools, giving parents a choice of where to send their children in areas where voucher systems are in place.
The system won’t be implemented in Hawai’i unless the state Legislature amends a law prohibiting the use of public funds for non-public school purposes, said Adah Askew, principal of Kula High and Intermediate School in Kilauea.
“It will be a hot issue. They have to do something legislatively,” Askew said.
Karen Ginoza, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said Hawai’i’s state constitution “says you can’t use state funds for religious purposes,” including funds to cover tuition for students in religious or private schools.
“The Supreme Court decision just has no bearing on us at this time,” Ginoza said.
Voucher program proposals have been put on election ballots in mainland communities, but they have been “soundly defeated,” because voters feel “money should be put in the public school system,” Ginoza said.
The court ruling only affects school jurisdictions in Ohio and Florida that use voucher systems, Ginoza said.
Bob Springer, who heads Island School in Puhi, one of the premier private schools on Kaua’i, said the court decision would have merit if Hawai’i residents wanted the system.
“From a philosophical standpoint, the voucher has merit,” Springer said, and if it is to be implemented, Hawai’i voters might want to lobby the state Legislature to change a current law that prohibits the use of public funds for non-public education.
Ginoza said a voucher system would hurt Hawai’i’s public school system because it would mean “diverting money elsewhere.”
“If we use public money for private schools, then it takes away funding from public schools that are already underfunded,” Ginoza said.
She said supporters of public schools in Hawai’i want to focus on smaller classes and the issue of having more qualified teachers in classrooms.
“We would rather fight these battle than try to fund private schools,” Ginoza said.
But students on Kaua’i who couldn’t afford to go to a private or parochial school could do so if a voucher program were approved in Hawai’i, Springer said.
“The question is whether the voucher would be good for education, and I say ‘yes,’ because it will allow parents to make choices,” Springer said.
But even if the voucher system is established, Springer said he isn’t certain there will be an exodus of pubic school students to private or religious schools.
“I don’t know. My guess is that it would not be overwhelming, because the reason is that there are a lot of good things going on in public schools, as there are at our school,” Springer said.
Public schools have good athletic programs, excellent teachers much as we (Island School) do,” Springer said.
A voucher system pushes both non-public and public schools to continue to “strive for educational excellence,” Springer said.
If a voucher system kicks in, Island School would be able to accommodate more students, as the school has been in an expansion mode for some time, Springer said.
“There are long-range plans and the board (of the school) has been moving on that,” Springer said.
The school currently sits on 30 acres and “there is plenty of room for expansion,” Springer said.
Artists renderings are underway for eight new classrooms, a performing arts building, swimming pool, a gym, a new learning center and cafeteria, Springer said.
Springer said the school had 169 students when he took over the reigns of the school five years ago. By August, the school anticipates a roster of 280 students.
The school accommodates students from pre-kindergarten to the 12th grade.
Yearly tuition for a high school student is $7,375, and tuition for a student from kindergarten to the eight grade is $6,885. The school also offers financial support – $300,000 – to about 90 students.
At St. Theresa’s School in Kekaha, which opened in the 1950s and is among the oldest nonpublic schools on Kaua’i, the voucher system would be welcomed because it would allow parents a “choice of where to send their children,” said Camille Hesapene, a school representative.
“There are a lot of West Kaua’i parents who have inquired about bringing their children here ,” Hesapene said. “The first thing two things parents ask about is the cost of the tuition and whether financial aid is available.”
The voucher program would provide the extra funds that would allow more West Kaua’i students to enroll in the school, Hesapene said.
The school boasts 158 students from preschool through the 8th grade.
Yearly tuition for one student is $1,900, $3,700 for two students and $5,400 for three students and more.
The tuition fee is among the lowest in the state thanks to fundraising events that generate revenues that support school operations, Hesapene said.
The school population is likely to grow if a voucher system is created in Hawai’i, Hesapene said.
Parents want to enroll their children into St. Theresa’s School because of the “Catholic education that stresses family values, discipline and smaller classroom sizes of 20 students to one teacher, Hesapene said.
“It would be nice if the voucher system is created,” she said.
The Supreme Court ruling upholds a program in inner-city Cleveland that gives mostly poor parents a tuition subsidy of up to $2,225 per child. The city has one of the worst-rated school systems in the nation.
Cleveland parents may spend the money at private academies, church-run schools or at suburban public schools with better academic credentials, according to the ruling.
Vouchers are an education idea championed by conservatives, including President Bush, who call them a ticket out of dismal and dangerous public schools.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
