Federal education policies might seem removed from most of our daily lives, but their effects can ripple through classrooms in every state, including Hawaiʻi.

Recent proposals like Project 2025 and conservative federal agendas targeting education have raised alarms about funding cuts and policy shifts that could impact local schools. While Hawaiʻi’s education system prides itself on inclusivity and equity, its reliance on federal funding — about 11% of its budget — could make it vulnerable to disruptions.

But state Superintendent Keith Hayashi and House Education Committee Chair Justin Woodson say significant federal spending cuts are less likely than some fear due to legal and logistical barriers. Their insights highlight both the risks posed by federal policy changes and the mechanisms that safeguard funding for public education.

“A reduction or evaporation of some federal funds would mean weʻll have to make adjustments accordingly,” Woodson says. “We would definitely feel it.”

Hayashi echoes this concern, emphasizing that any cuts could disrupt essential services for students.

“Any kind of impact to our students would be of concern,” Hayashi says. “It’s really important that we have the resources necessary to support our students from various funding sources.”

Constitutional Protections

The state Department of Education submitted its proposed budget for the upcoming year in October, and it’s now with the Department of Budget and Finance for review. Hayashi says the budget is going through its normal process, and there are no plans to amend it at this point.

Efforts to use federal funding as leverage to enforce policy changes are not new but have proven challenging to implement. For example, during the first Trump administration, attempts to withhold federal funds from so-called “sanctuary cities” were blocked by courts. Legal challenges, including rulings that such actions violated the Spending Clause and the Take Care Clause of the U.S. Constitution, effectively limited the federal government’s coercive power.

Woodson says most changes would require acts of Congress, where Republicans hold slim majorities. And, he points out, federal funding would in many cases disproportionately hurt Republican states.

“And so I know there’s a lot of handwringing about what might happen, but I am less concerned,” he says. “There are checks and balances in place.”

That doesnʻt mean the incoming Trump administration wonʻt attempt an overhaul of education and federal funding. Proposals to roll back Title IX protections, limit curriculum content and impose stricter parental notification requirements are among the potential flashpoints.

Hawaiʻi’s DOE has processes in place to address parental concerns, allowing parents to review and opt out of specific lessons, Hayashi says.

“If there are areas that might cause concern for parents, they do have an opportunity to see the curriculum in advance, and there’s a process for parents to opt out if they have concerns with particular lessons in the curriculum,” he says.

The DOE’s gender identity policies and protections for transgender students, which align with Title IX, are likely most at risk.

Woodson is cautiously optimistic that dismantling Title IX completely, as some conservative groups have recommended, would face significant hurdles in Congress and in the courts. However, a regulation that the Biden administration finalized in May under Title IX that the law’s sex discrimination protections cover gender identity is more vulnerable.

Trump can’t overturn the regulation by executive order as he threatened to do this summer. But he doesn’t need an act of Congress either. Regulations can be changed through a lengthy administrative procedure that includes a public comment period.

That’s where the most damage could be done.

Cultural Conflicts Less Heated Here

At the moment, Hawaiʻi’s cultural values of respect and inclusivity appear to be winning out locally.

“I think for us in Hawaiʻi, as a whole, we are very respectful of each other, and I think we’ve kind of been brought up that way,” Hayashi says.

This has helped the state’s schools avoid most heated debates over critical race theory and transgender accommodations that have become vitriolic elsewhere.

That said, Hawaiʻi is not immune to cultural conflicts. Woodson recalls a hostile incident where activists barged into his office with cameras, making accusations about policies his committee was considering. While such events are isolated, they reflect a broader national trend of schools becoming ideological battlegrounds.

Amid national threats, the DOE continues to focus on long-term priorities like improving literacy, mathematics and science education.

Woodson says a potential ban on cellphone use during school hours is on the agenda for the upcoming legislative session.

“Preliminary data is showing strong negative correlations between the use of cellphones in schools and student outcomes,” Woodson says, adding that cellphones have also been connected to bullying incidents.

Whether lawmakers and education officials face unprecedented cuts to federal funding or the usual challenges of running one of the country’s largest school districts, Hayashi and Woodson both stress the need for collaboration at all levels. Hayashi says the DOE has strong relationships with federal policymakers, including the Hawaiʻi congressional delegation and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Cardona recently visited Maui.

“It was wonderful to spend some time with the secretary of education and hear his thoughts and his belief in people and community,” Hayashi says.

Cardona “reaffirmed some of the things I have been hearing with regards to the relationship between the federal government and the states,” Woodson says. “It’s a little bit harder than what people think to change both dynamics.”

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.