Bill > SCR115

This Concurrent Resolution urges the Department of Education to provide and publish detailed information about Federal Impact Aid, a program established by United States Public Law 81-874. This aid is intended to compensate public schools for the financial burden of educating students whose parents are in the military and live on non-taxable federal land, as these families do not contribute to local taxes. The resolution highlights that the Department of Defense has not been fully meeting its financial obligations to Hawaii's public schools, with reimbursements falling significantly short of the actual cost of educating military students. To ensure accountability and transparency, the Department of Education is requested to annually report to the Legislature and make public on its website a summary of the impact aid owed and paid, including calculations based on the "full cost recovery method" used for overseas schools, the number of federally connected students, and the per-pupil educational costs, thereby revealing the substantial amount the state believes is owed by the Department of Defense.