UH scrambles to replace funding as it faces $80M in budget cuts
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Executives at the University of Hawaii said they are scrambling to fill $80 million in budget cuts after the state Legislature reduced funding from their two-year budget.
The UH Board of Regents was briefed on the cuts Thursday, which amounts to about 9% of the overall UH budget. The board said the UH Manoa campus lost about $60 million from the budget cut.
With losing millions in funding, the school’s chief financial officer said it’s going to be difficult to replace the lost funds.
“I am trying my best not to make it sound dire...because I think we are still doing the analysis and I think there are still opportunities. But, I don’t think right now we have enough to close all the holes,” said Kalbert Young, UH vice president for Finance.
The regents said they hoped to use federal funding to offset the budget cuts but were told that federal money wouldn’t fully cover the loss.
There was no discussion about whether lay-offs or tuition increases were being considered. But, the UH president told the regents Thursday that enrollment is up substantially for the fall semester.
Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.