As the start of the new fiscal year begins and with a new school year right around the corner, we can’t help but reflect on the graduating class of 2023. They were mere freshmen in 2020 when COVID-19 abruptly turned their world upside down. The events and experiences from the pandemic thrust them into a new world. Out of necessity, they had to mature quickly, re evaluate what’s important to them, and rethink their future.

Teachers are entrusted with the lives of thousands of youth to prepare them for a bright future. It is an awesome responsibility and our concern for them doesn’t stop when they graduate. We want to know they have ongoing opportunities to reach their fullest potential with a range of options available to them.

In talking with students and their families today, things are clearly different now. Going away to college may no longer be the best choice. Many are defining success on their own terms and choosing career paths that are aligned with their commitment to family. They value being together instead of being apart because of the lessons their pandemic experiences taught them.

The Hawaii Education Association keeps a close watch on how our state values our students, which is expressed in how the state Legislature funds both the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii. In our post-pandemic world, the cost of higher education on the mainland is out of reach for many Hawaii families. Even the high-quality education at the UH’s 10 campuses can be a stretch for many.

This is why the Hawaii Promise scholarship program is so invaluable. It provides an extra layer of support for students and their families, covering tuition, fees, and the cost of books and supplies.

More than 2,220 students from seven UH community colleges statewide received nearly $5 million in Hawaii Promise scholarships from 2020 to 2021. Students who seek noncredit courses or workforce training can also apply for the Hawaii Promise scholarship, opening new possibilities for up to another 4,000 Hawaii students. We need the Legislature to provide the needed funding for fiscal year 2025 to keep our state’s promise to Hawaii’s families and for Hawaii’s future.

The promise to Hawaii families must be kept. We cannot abandon or curtail future options for those who need financial help the most. Ultimately, this impacts the lives of all of us who call Hawaii our home.

The decisions we make today will shape our future. Take the current health-care worker shortage, for example. Increasing the number of nursing school graduates for hospitals and other health-care providers is one of the ways to help address this shortage and grow our local talent pool.

While we have been supporting and investing in our high schools’ health academies, including financial support for early college and industry-standard certifications, there was no funding for the UH nursing school this year. We have high school juniors and seniors who want to pursue health-care careers, and we have to make sure that when they graduate in 2024, 2025, and beyond, we have programs in Hawaii to support them.

We have committed to being a state with a health-care system second to none. Ensuring that our high school graduates who participate in our world-class medical training programs have a clear education and career path is important to achieving this goal.

While it seems a lifetime away, we want to make sure that when the Legislature convenes next January, it provides the funding needed to support this and future graduating classes with the funding needed to access high-quality post-secondary education opportunities here at home.