The Kaua’i School District was the first in the state to have one of its strike-closed schools reopen as Ni’ihau School opened its doors to about 45 students this morning. Officials announced yesterday that the K-12 school — manned by
The Kaua’i School District was the first in the state to have one of its strike-closed schools reopen as Ni’ihau School opened its doors to about 45 students this morning.
Officials announced yesterday that the K-12 school — manned by only two members of the Hawai’i State Teachers Association — would be the first of Hawaii’s public schools to resume classes as nearly all of the rest of the state’s 13,000 public school teachers and 3,200 university faculty members entered the fifth day of the strike.
State Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen said the Ni’ihau School staff has been trained to compensate for changes among the island’s population of about 230 people, so resuming education at the school should not pose much of a problem.
With one teacher assigned to elementary-age children, and the other to secondary-grade students, it will pretty much be business as usual, Knudsen said.
“They’re not striking and are ready to welcome the students back,” he said. “They just have a very fluid and flexible way of presenting in a multi-grade fashion.”
Ni’ihau principal William Arakaki said the island’s community had made it clear they wanted the school reopened quickly, and that the students he’s talked to have been eager to return to class.
“The community is quite unique,” Arakaki said of the Native Hawaiians-only island. “I’m sure the kids will be happy with school starting up again.”
Danielle Lum, spokeswoman for the HSTA, said the teachers’ decision to cross the picket line was regrettable, but ultimately up to the teachers.
“It’s out of our control,” she said. “We’ve not had any contact with them.”
With no electricity, telephones or sewer system, the school is equipped with one solar-powered computer.
Kaua’i district superintendent Daniel Hamada said the reopening of the small island’s school was based on the small number of staff and students and Arakaki’s willingness to reopen the campus.
“Right now, two teachers are there, the educational aides are there, so we decided to open it,” he said.
Lum said HSTA representatives met for informal talks with the state yesterday, but that nothing major in the contract dispute was resolved.
Meanwhile, 134 public school teachers statewide – four of them on Kaua`i – crossed picket lines Tuesday, Lum said. The state total is an increase of 16 over last Thursday’s count of 118 educators who reported to work.
As the University of Hawai’i system tries to maintain as many classes as possible during the strike, UH spokesman Jim Manke said one member of the concurrently striking University of Hawai’i Professional Assembly reported to work on Monday, assisting Kaua’i Community College in holding four of its 94 courses throughout the day.
Staff writer Matt Smylie can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) and mailto:msmylie@pulitzer.net
