On Thursday, June 28, 2018, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed two appropriations bills with increased funding for the Impact Aid Program. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure $40 million in the Defense appropriations bill. The funding, which was increased by $10 million from last year, will provide the Hawai‘i Department of Education with more than $3.5 million. In addition to the funds in the Defense appropriations legislation, further funding for the program was allocated in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, which was also approved by the committee. Sen. Schatz worked with his colleagues to include more than $1 billion for the national program, a $25 million increase for last year. Hawai‘i schools are expected to receive approximately $44 million of that funding, giving the state a combined total of at least $47 million in Impact Aid for fiscal year 2019.
“This money will give Hawai‘i more resources to help strengthen our school system and educate more kids,” said Sen. Schatz. “When we invest in our kids, we invest in our future.”
The Impact Aid program assists local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of military bases and other federal properties, or that have experienced increased costs due to the enrollment of children from military homes.
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