Red tape — much of it mandated by federal government procedures — could be stopping some disadvantaged parents from claiming the tutoring help their children need, according to school administrators.

"The process is where it slows down," said Ruth Silberstein, principal of Palolo Elementary School, which this year has seen just 12 children out of its 260 eligible get the free tutoring help they qualify for under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

On Tuesday, state Department of Education officials expressed concern at a Board of Education committee meeting that so few disadvantaged students were taking advantage of the tutoring. Though about 41,000 students at more than 100 Hawai'i schools are eligible for services, only about 10 percent are receiving tutoring.

Schools worry that it's the cumbersome process and paperwork that's keeping parents from getting the help their children need.

The process is slow and long, Silberstein said: "I give you the paper. ... You sign up the agencies you want. ... It comes back to me. ... I give it to the district office. ... They OK it and give it back to me. ... I give it back to you. ... You call the agency and set up a meeting. ... Then my signature is the final thing and it gets sent back to the district."

Anywhere along the line the procedure can slow down, said Silberstein, whose staff has done four outreach sessions for parents — including one free dinner — sent numerous fliers and letters home, and has even had staff knocking on doors to reach the parents.

Many families don't have phones. Many don't understand the importance of being assertive on their children's behalf. And many have been fearful that these benefits could jeopardize their welfare status or food stamps, she said.

"They all get the paperwork, but it doesn't come back," she said.

This year, the U.S. Department of Education tried to simplify the procedure, said Sharon Naka-gawa, who heads the special programs section of the Hawai'i DOE.

"The U.S. DOE was really trying to help the states because the states were expressing the concern that the procedure delayed the process," Nakagawa said.

The rules were changed to allow providers to set up meetings with parents, rather than vice versa, to help unblock the logjam. As a result, DOE personnel expect more families will take advantage of the free tutoring this year.

While no parents called Palolo Elementary yesterday to inquire about signing up for tutoring, Silberstein said the staff brings it up in every meeting and every contact they have with families.

However, also complicating the issue is that each county has a set amount of money allowable for tutoring for each child. The dollar amounts are determined by the amount of Title I money — to provide extra services for low-income families — allotted to each county. Honolulu receives the largest amount, which comes to $896 per child, with Maui at the lowest level at $625 per child. The Big Island allotment per child is $659 and it's $633 on Kaua'i.

That isn't really enough to do a lot of extra tutoring, Silberstein said.

"They're allotted about two sessions a week for about six or eight weeks," she said. "It isn't much. I would prefer something every day or all year."

Moloka'i is a special case. Because all schools are under-performing under No Child Left Behind guidelines, every child taking part in the free and reduced-price lunch program is eligible for tutoring.

Some say there should be a simpler way to provide tutoring.

Grandparent Layne Makela, whose 8-year-old granddaughter struggles with math but isn't eligible for the free extra help, wonders why tutoring can't be provided during the A+ program after school.

"If the A+ program had the tutoring, that would be a good place to start," Makela said. "That's where a lot of the children are low income and the parents are working. Why don't schools look into that?"

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