KALAHEAO — Kalaheo families and students may be impacted by new school boundaries, and some are not happy about it. “I think it’s wrong to change a boundary for the first time in Kauai history, a boundary that’s existed for
KALAHEAO — Kalaheo families and students may be impacted by new school boundaries, and some are not happy about it.
“I think it’s wrong to change a boundary for the first time in Kauai history, a boundary that’s existed for 60 or 70 years,” said Robert Goldberg, an attorney with a child attending Kalaheo Elementary School. “Kalaheo parents and families want the choice to send their children east to Lihue or west to Waimea. It’s wrong for big bureaucracy to force parents and take away their freedom of choice.”
The Department of Education plans to establish boundary lines that have not existed before, based on population changes in the area, which have contributed to lower enrollment at Waimea High School.
The Hawaii State Department of Education’s Kauai Complex Area held a meeting on the changes Tuesday evening at Kalaheo Elementary.
Russell Bernat, an entomologist with a son attending Kalaheo Elementary, is concerned new boundaries may create an inconvenience for families.
“I currently live about five minutes from here, and if I have to drive to Waimea Canyon, it’s probably running about 25 minutes there and another 25 minutes back,” he said.
The new boundary line proposed to start in the 2019-2020 school year will affect families in the Kalaheo community area, but not those in Lawai and Omao.
The current boundary line for families residing in Kalaheo is between Halewili Road and Kua/Koloa Roads. Historically, these families have had the choice to attend Kauai High School, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School or Waimea High School, Waimea Canyon Middle School.
Annie Godsill, a kindergarten teacher at Eleele, is parent to a seventh grader at Chiefess and a third grader at Kalaheo.
“I think it’s a great idea. I’ve been teaching on the Westside since the year 2000,” she said. “A lot of students from Waimea were actually my kindergarten students. I’m happy to see that they’re doing great having really great success. Hope my kids will go that direction, too.”
If the new boundaries are established, projections for the 2019-2012 school year predict about 140 students will relocate from Chief Kamakahelei Middle School to Waimea Canyon Middle School, and about 130 will go from Kauai High School to Waimea High School.
Dante Casillas, a ninth grade teacher for Industrial Engineering Technologies Core Pathway at Waimea High, said if anything, it’ll be a positive change for the school.
“Because more students means more income for the school, so they can spread it around and use it for all the kids in every aspect,” Casillas said “So across the island, everyone is getting the same opportunities with the same kind of equipment and teaching.”
Some benefits may include opportunities for equity and excellence in education, since economic, job and housing changes have affected community growth. However, some said challenges still need to be addressed for integrating students, staffing schools, maximizing resources and providing bus transportation.
Michelle Nudd, fifth grade teacher at Kalaheo Elementary has a daughter in fifth grade at the same school.
“I love Chiefess, and I also think that the Waimea schools are good schools,” she said. “So I don’t really know how I feel. If the whole school had to go, then my daughter would want to go there. She’s not going to know anyone at Chiefess, if the whole Kalaheo School goes to Waimea.”
Geographic exceptions can be requested for reasons of physical residence, siblings at same school, children of school staff, students with special needs, participation in athletics, and program study. Deadline to request exemptions is Jan. 1 to March 1 of the calendar year. When a school receives more applications than available space, a lottery will be conducted on the first Friday of April.
“I was here to learn and listen about what the proposed changes might mean and to what extent DOE has considered all of the issues above and beyond the actual school day that this might entail, for example what it might mean for traffic between the Westside and Kalaheo,” said Lisa Crampton, parent to a fourth grader at Kalaheo. “A lot of my questions were answered tonight, but I think there were more questions raised.”
After a review of public feedback, a second round of Kauai community meetings will take place with continued feedback to develop and refine an action plan. Comment, questions and suggestions are encouraged via email or online survey at https://goo.gl/2P8HyM.
More meetings will be held at 5 tonight at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Cafeteria and 5:30 p.m. Friday at Kauai High School in Room R-3.
“It is imperative that we work together to meet the needs of this change and support the transition for all affected families,” said Bill Arakaki, complex area superintendent.
