The state Department of Education on Friday released a report summarizing input from community feedback on the plan to rebuild King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was destroyed by the Aug. 8 wildfires.
King Kamehameha III Elementary had operated on Front Street in Lahaina for over a century until a wildfire swept through the site, displacing students, families, faculty and staff from their learning environment. The school currently operates out of a temporary location at 100 Akahele St.
The DOE is now identifying a permanent location to rebuild the school.
“The Department has been in discussions with the county on the needed infrastructure for the sites being considered for a permanent campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary,” Rebecca Winkie, Hana-Lahainaluna-Lana‘i- Moloka‘i Complex Area superintendent, said in a statement. “We are encouraged by the collective commitment from partner agencies to work together to provide a permanent replacement campus for King Kamehameha III as soon as possible to serve the Lahaina community.”
The three choices presented to the community were the original location on Front Street; Pulelehua, which is near the current temporary location at Akahele Street; and Ka‘anapali 2020 — Pu‘ukoli‘i Village Mauka.
Nearly 300 community members, including faculty, staff, current school family members and alumni, completed feedback surveys through three formats: at a staff or faculty meeting, an open community meeting and online.
Of the 291 people who completed the surveys, 30.5% were interested community members; 25.2% were King Kamehameha III Elementary alumni, 23.7% were families of currently enrolled students, 10.8% were current or retired faculty or staff and 9.8% were families of students enrolled prior to the fires only.
The majority of respondents — 66.9% — preferred the original Front Street location as the location for rebuilding the school.
The biggest influence for the respondents’ preference was history and tradition, followed by location convenience and then expediency.
The report said cultural and historical concerns were the highest sentiment, “the desire to keep the original location or at least choose a location within Lahaina town for the school; concern about what will happen to the Front Street location if the school is not rebuilt there; and consideration for the historical significance of the name and location of King Kamehameha III Elementary.”
There had been some concerns, according to the report, about DOE’s decision-making process and bias toward the Pulelehua location. There have been requests to slow down the process to include community voices in the decision- making process, and requests to put students and community over expediency and finances.
DOE provided a statement that the department “has been in discussions with the county on the needed infrastructure for the sites being considered for a permanent campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary. We are encouraged by the collective commitment from partner agencies to work together to provide a permanent replacement campus for King Kamehameha III as soon as possible to serve the Lahaina community.”
While the original location on Front Street was suggested most by community members, DOE reported that the building requirements would differ from those of the original construction, with a setback of 45 feet and a minimum structure height of 9 feet above sea level. The site is also undergoing recovery processes, including debris removal, sewage clearance and water clearance, and future expansion is constrained due to its landlocked nature and limited size.
The Pulelehua site is the DOE’s current recommended selection among the three sites under consideration.
The DOE already has an existing agreement with a developer to provide a site for Pulelehua, which is near the current temporary location, and can have the permitting process expedited.
The DOE also reported that Pulelehua would be conveniently located as it is closer for more families and students who attend the elementary school, as compared with Front Street.
The third choice, Ka‘anapali 2020 — Pu‘ukoli‘i Village Mauka, lacks existing infrastructure, and due to master plan modifications for a larger development site, construction on the school could be delayed by 10 years. However, the DOE also highlighted its convenience because of its proximity to the families and students of the elementary school.
“We’re dismayed that once again, HIDOE has put little to no effort into serious discussions with the Maui community over the future of their beloved King Kamehameha III Elementary. When the department offers three options on where the school should be rebuilt and tells the public two of the options aren’t viable, that’s giving the Maui community short shrift — something they’ve been experiencing for nearly a year now,” Hawaii State Teachers Association President Osa Tui Jr. said in a statement to the Honolulu Star- Advertiser. “Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi had to apologize for not seriously taking community input into account when he visited them a few weeks after the Maui fires and we hope the same mistakes don’t happen again as HIDOE promises more meetings will be held with its Office of Facilities.”
The DOE said the community has supported the idea of working toward building two new schools, with the understanding that Pulelehua could be built first, followed by another school or facility that supported student learning and well-being such as a library or a recreation center, at the original Front Street location or another location within Lahaina town.
“At the time of this report, there are still pending questions and issues related to all three proposed sites,” the DOE report wrote. “Pragmatism, planning for the future, and sensitivity to the community’s wishes all need to be balanced in order to move forward with the community’s support.”
