I haven't seen the budget for the public schools but it sure looks like the amount of money spent for public schoolls is probably around half of what is spent at private schools.  To send a kid to Iolani or Punahoe, you are easily looking at a total cost of over 20,000.  Does anyone believe the public schools would be able to charge 20000 if they were in a business environment?  

It is easy to say the public schools are top heavy but are they?  What is your evidence that the school system is top heavy.  You might be right but I think the main problem is that the system is slow to modernize.  When my wife started working at the Institute for Astronomy, they were using the same systems developed during the seventies.