Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 May 2006 — OHA board OKs $1.57 million budget increase [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA board OKs $1.57 million budget increase

Added funds will be used for granfs

By Ka Wai ūla staff At a meeting on April 6, OHA's Board of Trustees approved a $1.57 million increase in the agency's operating budget for the current fiscal year. Resulting from an updated calculation of OHA's spending policy limit, the additional funds will be used by the agency's grants program to support eonununity projects that benefit Native Hawaiians in such areas as native rights advocacy, culture, eeonomie development, education, heahh, natural resources and housing. The nine-member board voted 8-0 in support of

the budget realignment measure, with Trustee Oz Stender excused from the meeting. OHA administrator Clyde Nāmu'o said that the funding increase will enahle the agency to more effectively meet the goals of its 2006-2011 strategic plan, whieh was adopted by the board last August. OHA's revised operating budget for the current fiscal year, whieh runs through the end of June, now totals $29,785,460. In the coming months, the trustees will also examine possible revisions to the budget for the next fiscal year, whieh begins in July. In addition to the budget increase, $1.75 million from OHA's fiscal reserve has been released for two previously approved initiatives: $1.7 mil-

lion to support Hawaiian-focused charter schools and an additional $50,000 for roof repair at Ke Kula Ni'ihau o Kekaha, a charter school on Kaua'i focused on education for the children of Ni'ihau families. Also approved by the board were eight new positions, adding to OHA's current total of 128 full-time staff. The personnel additions include three new positions in the Native Rights, Land and Culture division; two in Human Services, Housing and

Education; one in Legal Services; one in Treasury and Other Services; and one in Planning, Evaluation and Grants. "The realigned Fiscal Year 2006 budget represents approximately 25 percent in personnel costs, and 75 percent in operations including programs and services," said Nāmu'o. "Typically in government, personnel costs are a mueh higher percentage of total operating budgets." Also in attendance at the board meeting were 20 students from

the Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Ānuenue football team, whieh received an OHA grant last year enabling "Nā Koa" (the warriors) of Ānuenue to purchase equipment and uniforms. According to Po'o Kumu (principal) Charles Naumu and the team's eoaeh, Kealohamakua Wengler, Nā Koa is the only O 'ahu Interscholastic Association team from a Hawaiian-language inunersion school. Team members presented the OHA Trustees with gifts, lei and oli (chants) of appreciation S

NŪ HOU • NEWS

0HA's budget increase will allow the agency to offer more communify granfs, such as the one that enabled Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Ānuenue immersion school's football team (shown here thanking OHA trustees) to purchase uniforms and equipment . - Photo: Derek Fem