STATE FUNDING GUIDE

Hawaii

Hawaii has no dedicated recurring state literacy fund; because HIDOE is one statewide district, intervention purchases happen either centrally, through complex areas, or at the school level using each principal’s Weighted Student Formula (WSF) budget, alongside federal Title I and IDEA funds. The biggest current literacy-specific money is HIDOE’s five-year, $60 million federal CLSD grant (awarded 2024), which funds evidence-based structured-literacy programs at participating schools and complex areas. HB 1891, passed by the 2026 Legislature in May 2026, would require K-3 universal screening and evidence-based interventions with an appropriation attached; confirm its enactment status before citing it as funded.

HIDOE statewide literacy initiative (CLSD-funded structured literacy work); HB 1891 (2026) dyslexia screening bill pending enactment

How schools fund reading intervention in Hawaii

The state-level programs below are the streams Hawaii districts most often use for evidence-based reading intervention purchases, alongside the federal streams available everywhere.

Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Grant (federal, HIDOE-administered)

A five-year, $60 million federal grant awarded to HIDOE in 2024 that funds evidence-based, structured-literacy programs; funds flow to participating schools and complex areas via HIDOE RFPs, so eligibility depends on a school’s participation.

Weighted Student Formula (school-level flexible funds)

HIDOE distributes per-pupil operating funds directly to schools; principals, with their School Community Councils, control these budgets and may purchase intervention curriculum, materials, and PD through their academic/financial plans.

Approved-list note: There is no separate district-level approved list; HIDOE centrally vets and recommends literacy resources statewide, so intervention adoption typically runs through HIDOE offices or complex areas rather than independent district committees.

Official state resource →