Kalbert Young, 东精影业 vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the upcoming 2025 Legislative session.
Aloha,
On December 16, Gov. Josh Green submitted his biennial budget request for the 2025 legislative session, which begins January 15. This request includes some of the key funding priorities from the University of Hawaiʻi’s biennium budget request approved by the 东精影业 Board of Regents (BOR) at the November 21 BOR meeting.
东精影业’s budget falls into two basic categories: operating and capital improvement projects (CIP). Here are some of the key highlights for both:
Operating Budget
Expanding the Hawaiʻi Promise financial aid program to our four-year campuses, has been a top legislative priority for 东精影业 over the past several years. For the upcoming biennium budget request of the Governor, it was not included as part of the executive’s request. Hawaiʻi Promise is currently available to students with calculated financial need at the 东精影业 Community Colleges. The program provides money to cover the direct costs of education—including tuition, fees and books and supplies—not met by other forms of financial aid. The 东精影业 request sought approximately $12.1 million to provide aid for tuition, fees, books, and supplies to students with proven financial need at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补, 东精影业 Hilo, and 东精影业 West Oʻahu, similarly to the aid that is provided at the Community Colleges.
Another priority was to avoid student funds being necessary for debt service of certain 东精影业 facilities. Debt service funding for bonds financing the construction of the 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 John A. Burns School of Medicine and 东精影业 Cancer Center is included in the governor?s budget. Both facilities have historically had debt service met by the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds and the state tax on cigarettes, respectively. Having these funds from the state to satisfy debt service has been the approach for decades, thereby mitigating the need to utilize tuition revenues to pay for such expenses. However, as revenues from both of these sources have been declining for years, and have reached the level where debt service will exceed the revenues from these funds, the state is being asked to augment the current practice with earmarked funds to assist paying for the debt service. The Governor has included a significant funding approach as part of his budget request that supports JABSOM, and the Cancer Center.
Other priorities include permanent funding for programs like the 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补/东精影业 West Oʻahu Pre-Nursing Pathway, rural RN to BS programs, additional financial aid counselors, retention coordinators and nursing instructional positions. These areas of workforce development focus in the areas of medical industry support—especially, nursing—but also for other areas such as teacher development.
The following table lists the operating budget requests by the BOR and what the governor included or did not include in the executive budget.
Operating
| Campus | Item | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Regents | Governor | ||||
| FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | ||
| PERMANENT FUNDING | |||||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Make 惭ā苍辞补 Athletics subsidy permanent | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 |
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | HIMB Positions from Act 181/23 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 | $246,118 |
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | K–12 Expanded Teaching Cohort from Act 141/22 | $420,556 | $375,556 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Pamantasan Council from Act 64/23 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 | $85,500 |
| 东精影业 Hilo | Make Hilo Athletics subsidy permanent | $800,000 | $800,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| 东精影业 Hilo | Full Year funding for BS in Education Studies and Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 | $142,500 |
| 东精影业 Community College | Windward CC Mental Health Tech Certificate of Competence Program from Act 107/24 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 | $210,150 |
| 东精影业 Community College | 东精影业 Maui College Practical Nursing Bridge Program from Act 74/23 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 | $330,000 |
| 东精影业 Community College | Pamantasan Council from Act 64/23 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 | $196,000 |
| HAWAIʻI PROMISE | |||||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $8,683,397 | $8,683,397 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $920,938 | $920,938 | ||
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | Hawaiʻi Promise Program Expansion | $2,451,832 | $2,451,832 | ||
| STUDENT SUPPORT | |||||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Financial Aid Counselors | $904,152 | $904,152 | $199,440 | $398,880 |
| 东精影业 Hilo | Retention Coordinator | $37,500 | $75,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Internship Coordinator | $37,500 | $75,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Student Enrollment Management | $432,500 | $640,000 | ||
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | Admissions and Financial Aid | $213,600 | $213,600 | $37,650 | $75,300 |
| WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – NURSING | |||||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补-东精影业 West Oʻahu Nursing Collaboration Phase III | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 | $447,936 |
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Online RN to BS Program | $111,984 | $111,984 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Increase School of Nursing cohort size | $297,500 | $595,000 | $357,500 | $475,000 |
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | Pre-Nursing Pathway | $424,364 | $424,364 | $107,776 | $215,552 |
| WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – OTHER | |||||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Administration of Justice Program Expansion | $75,000 | $150,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Data Science Program | $42,500 | $85,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Biocultural Science Program | $85,000 | $170,000 | ||
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | Teacher Preparation Programs | $90,455 | $90,455 | ||
| MEDICAL FACILITIES | |||||
| JABSOM | Debt service for Kakaʻako Health & Wellness Campus | $2,725,000 | $2,725,000 | $1,108,019 | $1,533,463 |
| 东精影业 Cancer Center | Debt service and operational costs | $6,857,810 | $6,857,810 | $9,476,352 | $9,441,861 |
| OTHER REQUESTS – CORE FUNCTIONS | |||||
| JABSOM | Central Chiller Plant Operations | $63,000 | $63,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Hilo | Groundskeepers | $101,280 | $202,560 | ||
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | ACM Facilities and Core Services | $341,748 | $341,748 | $66,888 | $133,776 |
| 东精影业 System | Information Security | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | ||
| OTHER | |||||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Expand Concussion Education to Middle Schools | $200,000 | $200,000 | ||
| JABSOM | Focus on cardiovascular disease and treatment | $700,000 | $700,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Convert Athletics Positions and Additional Support | $4,519,341 | $4,519,341 | $320,000 | $320,000 |
| Total | $37,895,161 | $38,733,941 | $17,031,829 | $17,952,036 | |
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP)
The CIP budget focuses on health and safety, modernization and addressing deferred maintenance across our campuses. Key highlights include $381 million for FY26 and $331 million for FY27 for modernization and deferred maintenance (Governor included $145.5 million and $114.5 million), $118 million for 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 student housing upgrades (Governor included $50 million) and $40 million requested for photovoltaic energy-saving projects (not included).
CIP
| Campus | Project Description | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Regents | Governor | ||||
| FY26 | FY27 | FY26 | FY27 | ||
| 东精影业 System/东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | RIM Projects | $100,000,000 | $100,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 |
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Student Housing Services Improvements | $61,500,000 | $57,000,000 | $25,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Assessment and Feasibility of Hamilton Library | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Waikīkī Aquarium Improvements | $4,000,000 | |||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Athletics Improvements | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Holmes Hall | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | PV Rooftop and Canopies and Various Energy Efficiency Projects | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Mini Master Plan Phase 3 – Kuykendall Hall | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 | Admin Office and Parking Phase I and II | $9,000,000 | |||
| 东精影业 Hilo | RIM Projects | $29,625,000 | $22,685,000 | $15,000,000 | $15,000,000 |
| 东精影业 Hilo | Puako Marine Education and Research Center, Phase I | $750,000 | |||
| 东精影业 West Oʻahu | RIM Projects | $6,900,000 | $5,000,000 | $6,500,000 | $4,500,000 |
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance | $37,500,000 | $25,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 |
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | Minor CIP | $37,500,000 | $25,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | Kapiʻolani CC – Kauila and Kopiko Renovations for Health Sciences | $34,800,000 | |||
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | Honolulu CC – Technology Renovations, Phase 2 | $32,000,000 | $15,000,000 | ||
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | 东精影业 Maui College – Heona Modernization | $15,000,000 | |||
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | 东精影业 Maui College – Hale Modernization | $12,000,000 | |||
| 东精影业 Community Colleges | Windward CC – Alakaʻi Building Renovation | $15,000,000 | |||
| Total | $381,025,000 | $331,235,000 | $145,500,000 | $114,500,000 | |
Next Steps
The university is grateful for the support reflected in the governor’s budget and will continue advocating for critical funding needs as the legislative session progresses. As in years past, I will provide updates throughout the legislative session as the state and university budget is amended and progresses through the Legislature. Mahalo for your time and attention.
Happy Holidays,
Kalbert Young
东精影业 Vice President of Budget and Finance/Chief Financial Officer