DOE Asking Parents to Complete Impact Aid Survey Cards

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) is sending a U.S. Department of Education Federal Survey Card home with Hawaii’s public school students for parents to complete on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018.

Completed Impact Aid Program survey cards allow HIDOE to qualify for a partial reimbursement for educating federally connected students, such as children whose parents work or live on federal property. The program was created by Congress to assist school districts that lose tax revenues (e.g. income, sales and property taxes) due to a federal presence. Received funds go to all qualifying local school districts and can be used to hire teachers, purchase textbooks and computers, pay for utilities and more. Parents are strongly urged to complete the surveys and return them to their schools as soon as possible.

“Federal Impact Aid funds contribute about $35 million annually and support all of our public schools statewide,” said Dr. Christina Kishimoto, HIDOE Superintendent. “Each school is eligible to receive additional funds based on the number of surveys completed and returned, so we ask parents to support their local school in maximizing access to these funds.”

Completed survey forms will benefit students at all public schools statewide. In Hawai‘i, Impact Aid reimbursements help to offset such costs as student transportation, school utilities, substitute teachers, portable classrooms and many others necessities.

Every public school has a 100% return rate goal and asks that parents complete and return the federal survey as soon as possible. Visit HIDOE’s Impact Aid Program webpage for more information and to address common questions.