HIDOE holds community meeting to gather feedback on possible new site to rebuild King Kamehameha III Elementary School

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PULELEHUA - About 100 staff and community members attended the Hawai'i State Department of Education's community meeting Tuesday evening to learn more about a potential new site for the school's permanent future.

The two West Maui sites under consideration for rebuilding at this time are Ku'ia and Pulelehua.

Landowner Kamehameha Schools recently announced a parcel of land in Ku'ia, Lahaina, for the Department to consider for rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary School. The proposed site is located in Lahaina town, below the bypass road and above the tsunami zone.

Pulelehua, where the school's temporary campus is located now, is also still being evaluated as a possible site on a previously allocated parcel within the future master planned community in Honokōwai, about 7 miles away from where the original campus was on Front Street.

The community meeting opened with an informational presentation on both sites by Hāna-Lahainaluna-Lāna'i-Molokai Complex Area Superintendent Rebecca Winkie, who oversees Lahaina schools. Attendees were then able to ask questions before dividing into smaller groups for further discussion and to share their feedback in writing. Volunteer scribes recorded the feedback, which will be compiled into a final report that will be published next month.

King Kamehameha III Elementary, which was damaged beyond repair in the Aug. 2023 wildfires, is operating out of a temporary campus in Pulelehua below the Kapalua Airport. The temporary site, which was built in four months by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), opened to students in April.

Due to FEMA funding expiring in three years, there is urgency for the Department to find a new permanent site as soon as possible. Currently the ground lease for the site of the temporary campus is $1 per year for the first three years with the master developer of Pulelehua. The land lease increases to $180,000 in Year 4 and $230,000 in Year 5, with an option to cancel at any time with 180 days notice. The school's modular structures are also being leased.

This is the HIDOE's second meeting to gather feedback from the community on the future of King Kamehameha III Elementary. In May the Department held two community feedback sessions to share three possible sites at the time: Front Street, Pulelehua and Ka'ānapali.

Although the original Front Street campus site was most preferred by stakeholders who attended the May meetings, it is no longer being considered because factors beyond the Department's control, including the discovery of iwi kupuna, the parcel being too small for rebuilding, and environmental development requirements, make it not feasible for redevelopment. The HIDOE is returning the site to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the County of Maui. The Kaʻanapali location is no longer being considered due to a lack of infrastructure tied to the status of the development there.

"We are committed to the same goals - we want to move our King Kamehameha III Elementary students and staff into a permanent school location, with better facilities and a better learning environment as soon as possible, and be able to complete construction in three to five years," Winkie said.

Most community members who spoke up in the meeting did not appear to have strong support for either site but instead raised questions about the decision-making process, timeline and future plans for a third elementary school to serve West Maui. Winkie said the need for a third school will be considered if and when population growth requires another school. King Kamehameha III and the existing Princess Nāhi'ena'ena Elementary campuses each have about 400 students enrolled, compared to around 600 students before the wildfire.

A recording of the meeting will be made available Wednesday on the school's website. Feedback is being collected through this form until Dec. 3.

After the feedback form closes, HIDOE's Office of Facilities and Operations will review the report and make a recommendation to HIDOE's leadership that considers such factors as timeline, cost, availability of infrastructure, physical and historical characteristics of the site, fire safety, and community sentiment, among others.

Resources:
Presentation deck
Community feedback form