Immersion programs deserve more funding

Hawaiian language immersion schools are now getting a bigger piece of the education pie, and rightly so.

On Feb. 11, he House Education Committee approved a $5 million appropriations bill to provide extra funding for the expansion and development of the immersion schools program.

These moneys will be used to supplement Department of Education funding, and will also provide immersion schools with the means to reduce class size, give teachers time to develop curricula, and bus in students from outlying areas.

Currently, the Department of Education gives $1.19 million for immersion schools, of which 44 percent is applied toward teachers' salaries while less than one percent is available for tuition waivers.

The legislature would be well-advised to pass the bill through. In spite of the state's budget difficulties, it is wise to invest in immersion schools now.

There is no guarantee that our economy won't become even worse than it is now, and our children are the only link we have to the continued growth of Hawaiian culture.