Skip to content
Reading time: 7 minutes

Hawaii State Capitol building

Kalbert Young, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, provides a breakdown of the state budget approved by lawmakers at the end of the 2023 legislative session.

Young
Kalbert Young

On May 4, the 2023 legislative regular session ended, and the biennial budget (two-year cycle) for the State of Hawaiʻi (HB 300 CD1) was sent to Gov. Josh Green. The governor has until July 11 to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.

The operating and capital improvement projects (CIP) budget appropriations for the University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system were significantly less than what was requested by the UH Board of Regents and the governor. The amount of funding for the first year of the biennial budget next year, fiscal year 2023–24 (FY24), should be sufficient to maintain current levels of operations. Sustained funding and funding for the full biennium will need to be addressed in the 2024 legislative session.

Operating budget overview

The top priority for the operating budget for the 2023 legislative session was the restoration of state general fund support to pre-pandemic levels. The Legislature only restored the funding the first year of the biennium (FY24) and not the second year (FY25). Other top-priority initiatives were not included in the final budget including addressing the healthcare workforce shortage and the expansion of the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to the four-year campuses.

There was additional funding provided as part of the UH request for continued funding of the existing UH Community College Hawaiʻi Promise Program and for UH Mānoa and UH Hilo athletics, but only in the first year of the next biennium.

The operating budget table (at the bottom of the online story) compares the UH items funded by the Legislature and what was requested by the Board of Regents.

Capital improvement projects budget overview

The capital improvement projects (CIP) portion of the state budget for UH was also lower than requested. A number of renovation projects to address deferred maintenance, specifically Renew, Improve and Modernize (RIM) projects, will have to be delayed, at least for the first year of the biennium budget. The university is reprioritizing projects now based on the limited funding.

UH requested a total of $558 million ($262.5 million for FY24 and $296 million for FY25) to address capital renewal, progress on deferred maintenance and funding for projects to modernize each of the campuses within the UH System.

The Legislature appropriated a total of $384 million for the biennium budget. Of that amount, $63 million is for a prototype artificial reef project that the university did not request funding for. The Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology project is just underway and will take time to scale up.

The remaining $321 million in CIP funding is disproportionately designated among the 10 campuses, similar to the budget the Senate passed in April. The UH Community Colleges account for 60% of that amount ($193.8 million), while the seven community colleges make up 22% of UH’s total gross square footage.

Funding to increase the seating capacity at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on UH Mānoa campus was not included in the budget. Without this support, the university will have to look at other funding alternatives to increase capacity required for a Division I football program. The university is in the process of expanding seating from 9,000 to 15,000 seats by the start of the 2023 football season after the sudden closure of Aloha Stadium in December 2020.

The CIP budget table (at the bottom of the online story) compares the funding the Legislature provided for CIP projects and what was requested by the Board of Regents.

The University of Hawaiʻi is appreciative to the governor and the Legislature for the funding provided in the budget. The UH administration is now reviewing all bills from multiple perspectives and assessing the go-forward options and impacts on the university. Of the 274 bills passed by the Legislature, approximately 64 of them may have some impact, interest, effect and/or concern to UH.

Operating budget table

Campus Description
Board CD1
FY24 FY25 FY24 FY25
RESTORATION OF FUNDS
UH Mānoa General Fund Restoration $5,600,000 $5,600,000 $5,600,000
JABSOM General Fund Restoration $1,800,000 $1,800,000 $1,800,000
UH Hilo General Fund Restoration $3,420,000 $3,420,000 $3,420,000
UH West Oʻahu General Fund Restoration $1,620,000 $1,620,000 $1,620,000
UH System General Fund Restoration $5,086,848 $5,086,848 $5,086,848
SUSTAINED FUNDING
UH Mānoa Athletics Subsidy Continuation $3,200,000 $3,200,000 $3,200,000  
UH Hilo Athletics Subsidy Continuation $400,000 $400,000 $400,000  
UH Mānoa HIMB Full Year Funding $85,500 $85,500 $85,500 $85,500
JABSOM GME Residency Full Year Funding $1,670,000 $1,670,000 $660,000 $660,000
JABSOM Neighbor Island MD Expansion Continuation General Fund Restoration $2,000,000 $2,000,000    
HAWAIʻI PROMISE PROGRAM
UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Promise Expansion $12,300,000 $12,300,000    
UH Hilo Hawaiʻi Promise Expansion $1,700,000 $1,700,000    
UH West Oʻahu Hawaiʻi Promise Expansion $5,000,000 $5,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Hawaiʻi Promise Continuation $3,700,000 $3,700,000 $3,700,000  
CAMPUS FACILITIES AND CORE SERVICES
UH Hilo Security Officers $313,320 $313,320    
UH West Oʻahu Security Officers $30,900 $61,800    
UH Community Colleges Security Officers $693,780 $1,456,938 $693,780 $1,456,938
UH Hilo IT Support $160,000 $160,000    
UH Hilo Analytical Lab Manager $80,000 $80,000    
UH West Oʻahu Campus and ACM Support $162,996 $325,992    
EARLY COLLEGE EXPANSION
UH Community Colleges Early College Expansion $577,500 $1,212,750 $84,167 $174,750
UH West Oʻahu Early College Expansion $90,000 $180,000    
UH System Early College Expansion $90,000 $180,000    
INITIATIVE: SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS
UH West Oʻahu Student Success Support $261,252 $522,504    
UH Community Colleges UH Maui College-Health Center $98,500 $200,250 $98,500 $200,250
UH Community Colleges UH Maui College-Distance Learning $73,500 $147,750    
UH Mānoa Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Undergraduate Research Initiative $721,600 $1,058,400    
UH Hilo Transfer Center $60,000 $60,000    
UH Hilo Career Advising and Internship Admin $60,000 $60,000    
UH Community Colleges Windward CC-Incarcerated Students $125,500 $241,550    
UH Community Colleges Hawaiʻi CC-Incarcerated Students $37,500 $78,750    
ADDRESS AREAS OF STATE NEED
UH Hilo Administration of Justice Program Expansion $142,000 $142,000    
UH Hilo MA Teaching Expansion and Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education $210,000 $210,000    
UH Hilo MA Counseling Psychology $210,000 $210,000    
UH Hilo CAFNRM Sustainable Agribusiness $100,000 $100,000    
UH West Oʻahu Teacher Preparation $70,676 $141,352    
INDUSTRY INITIATIVE: HEALTH
UH West Oʻahu Health and Wellness $147,158 $294,316    
UH Mānoa Health Science Initiative $477,009 $688,473    
UH Community Colleges Kapiʻolani CC-Allied Health Professions and NI Expansion $761,000 $761,000    
UH Community Colleges Windward CCCNA Program Support $86,000 $86,000    
UH Community Colleges Kauaʻi CC-Medical Assisting Program Support $232,000 $232,000    
UH Community Colleges Kapiʻolani CC-Nursing Clinical Faculty $259,998 $259,998    
UH Community Colleges Hawaiʻi CC-Nursing Program Maintenance and Expansion $474,000 $474,000    
UH Community Colleges Kauaʻi CC-Nursing Faculty $258,000 $258,000    
UH Community Colleges UH Maui College-Nursing Faculty $172,000 $172,000    
UH Community Colleges UH Maui College-CNA to LPN Program Support $86,000 $86,000    
UH Mānoa UH West OʻahuUH Mānoa Nursing Collaboration $503,000 $503,000    
UH Mānoa NAWSON Programs and Training Support $661,430 $661,430    
UH Hilo Nursing Faculty Support $198,000 $198,000    
UH Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health-Training Hubs     $228,500 $457,000
LEGISLATIVE ADD-ONS
UH Community Colleges Office of International and Regional Partnerships Study Abroad Program     $15,000  
UH Community Colleges Non-Credit Workforce Development     $578,240 $578,240
UH System GIA-Friends of Ka Leo Hawaiʻi Media (not in worksheets)     $300,000  
UH Mānoa Astronomy Engineering and Instrumentation     $1,900,000 $1,900,000
  Total $56,266,967 $59,399,921 $29,470,535 $5,512,678

CIP budget table

Campus Description MOF
Board Legislature
FY24 FY25 FY24 FY25
UH System Renew, Improve and Modernize C $100,000,000 $100,000,000    
UH System Renew, Improve and Modernize A     $30,000,000 $30,000,000
UH Hilo Renew, Improve and Modernize C $17,500,000 $26,500,000 $8,500,000 $4,800,000
UH Hilo Renew, Improve and Modernize A     $6,000,000 $16,200,000
UH Community Colleges Renew, Improve and Modernize C $25,000,000 $25,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Renew, Improve and Modernize A     $25,000,000 $25,000,000
UH West Oʻahu Renew, Improve and Modernize C $5,000,000 $3,500,000    
UH Mānoa PV Rooftop and Canopies and Various Energy Efficiency Projects C $20,000,000 $20,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Minor CIP C $25,000,000 $25,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Minor CIP A     $25,000,000 $25,000,000
UH Mānoa Assessment and Feasibility of Hamilton Library C $6,500,000      
UH West Oʻahu Road B Entry Plaza C $5,500,000      
UH Community Colleges Kapioʻolani CC-Replace AC System (6930 Ohelo) C $15,000,000   $15,000,000  
UH Community Colleges Kauaʻi CC-Upgrade Fire Alarm System C $8,500,000      
UH Mānoa Mini Master Plan Phase 3-Kuykendall Hall C   $5,000,000    
UH West Oʻahu Campus Center Phase II C   $49,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Windward CC-Repair/Replace HVAC (5988 ʻImiloa) C $11,000,000   $11,000,000  
UH Mānoa Athletics C $12,000,000 $18,000,000 $14,000,000  
UH Mānoa Athletics A     $4,500,000  
UH Community Colleges Kapioʻolani CC-Renovate Building (6920 Kokiʻo) C $2,000,000 $10,000,000 $2,000,000 $10,000,000
UH Mānoa Administrative Office and Parking C   $8,000,000    
UH Community Colleges Honolulu CC-Technology Renovations Phase 2 C $3,000,000     $3,000,000
UH Mānoa Holmes Hall C $1,500,000 $6,000,000 $1,500,000  
UH Community Colleges Hawaiʻi CC-Manono Campus Development C $2,000,000      
UH Mānoa Waikīkī Aquarium Seawall Repair C $3,000,000      
UH Mānoa HIMB-Continue DARPA Prototype Artificial Reef C       $63,517,000
UH Mānoa HIMB-Replacement of Sewage System, Seawall and Pier C     $4,250,000  
UH Mānoa HIMB-Replacement of Sewage System, Seawall and Pier A     $750,000 $5,000,000
UH Community Colleges Waiākea Research Station C     $2,625,000  
UH Community Colleges Kauaʻi CCPV Rooftops/Canopies C     $15,000,000  
UH Community Colleges Kauaʻi CC-Student Dorms and Faculty/Staff Housing A     $250,000  
UH Community Colleges Various Repairs and Deferred Maintenance C     $35,000,000  
UH Hilo Hawaiʻi Astronomy Engineering and Instrument Development Hub C     $2,000,000  
  Total $262,500,000 $296,000,000 $202,375,000 $182,517,000
Back To Top