Hawaiʻi is spending $417 less on services per child compared to 2005, report says

Over the course of nearly two decades, the state is spending about $400 less per child than in 2005, according to a new report from advocacy groups Hawaiʻi Budget and Policy Center and Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network.

Researchers concentrated on this year’s proposed state budget and compared it to the 2005 budget—a time of economic prosperity prior to the Great Recession.

The report's lead researcher, and former executive director of the Budget and Policy Center, Beth Giesting says they focused on a handful of programs that ensure a child’s well-being in budget and expenditure reports.

“That includes public education, economic security programs like housing and childcare, children's protection programs like CPS,” she told HPR. “But also programs for at-risk youth and Medicaid health care programs.”