August 2025

Major Renovation: On Time and Under Budget!

Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority Delivers Three New Preschool Classrooms for 

Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School 

More families who have been waiting to enroll their keiki in a public preschool no longer have to look far for a solution. This month, the Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority (SFA) and other partners celebrated the completion of three classrooms dedicated for preschool Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School in Kaimukī.

The renovation, the first preschool classroom renovation at a charter school, was completed before the start of the 2025-26 school year, which began August 18. It also represents the SFA’s rapid progress in supporting Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke’s Ready Keiki initiative to make universal access to preschool for all 3-year-old and 4-year-old children in our state, with more than 400 classrooms statewide by 2032.

“When we first launched Ready Keiki in 2023, I met with Wai‘alae Elementary and heard firsthand about their long preschool waitlist. With this expansion, they’ve doubled their available seats—serving more keiki and supporting more families. This is what Ready Keiki is all about,” said Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke, who leads the initiative. “It’s about listening to our communities, building strong partnerships, and delivering real results to make universal access to pre-K a reality.”

She also thanked Hawai‘i legislators, including Rep. Chris Todd, who represents portions of Hawai‘i Island and is the Chair of the House Finance Committee, for their support by allocating funding for the development of preschools in the state.

Reducing Preschool Wait Times

The school began the 2024–25 school year with a preschool waitlist of 90 families. With this expansion of its preschool program and the opening of additional public preschool classrooms in the district, that number has dropped to 38. Renovation plans are already underway to add additional preschool classrooms and expand the outdoor covered play and learning area by the 2026–27 school year.

“We’ve long had a waitlist for preschool, and we remain committed to supporting families who deserve access to high-quality and affordable early learning for their keiki,” said Kawika Chun, head of school for Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School. “We’re proud to be part of the state’s efforts to expand pre-K access and create more opportunities for young learners. These newly renovated classrooms will provide a welcoming space for discovery, growth, and a strong start to their educational journey.”

Ed Noh

Hawai‘i State Charter School Commission

Kawika Chun

Wai‘alae Elementary

Public Charter School

Riki Fujitani

Hawai‘i School Facilities

Authority

Significant Savings on Time and Costs

“The legislature has commissioned the SFA to build schools faster, more efficiently, and at less cost for taxpayers, said Riki Fujitani, SFA’s executive director. “The SFA team takes this responsibility seriously and is rising to that challenge. We've been entrusted to do major renovations targeting $1 million per classroom, and we have been able to deliver results under budget. We could not have done this alone. We're grateful for the collaboration with Lieutenant Governor Luke, the Hawai‘i State Charter School Commission, and the Wai‘alae Elementary team.”

“Our inspiration comes from families. Each new preschool seat we add to the inventory represents another happy family who has access to affordable education for their keiki and peace of mind while they are working,” he added.

Fujitani said the Wai‘alae Elementary project is SFA’s first preschool renovation in partnership with the Charter School Commission. He acknowledged the contributions of Doug Cullison, SFA’s program manager of preschools, and a team of pre-qualified contractors, including Bowers+Kubota and Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, which have proven they can live up to SFA’s high standards of quality, need for standardized designs to rapidly replicate school renovations and new buildings, and ability to maintain the relentless pace.

From left: Ed Noh, executive director, Hawai‘i State Public Charter School Commission; Riki Fujitani, executive director; Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority; Doug Cullison, preschools program manager, Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority; Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke; Kawika Chun, head of school, Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School; PJ Foehr, deputy director, Hawai‘i State Public Charter School Commission; and Hawai‘i State Rep. Chris Todd. Credit: Lt. Governor's communications team.

The Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School project began on June 4, 2025, and was completed in just seven weeks. While classroom renovations were initially projected to cost $1 million per classroom, SFA renovated the three classrooms at a total cost of $700,000—including the new pre-K space. The construction team used the same classroom specifications and resources as those used for previous Ready Keiki classrooms built for the Department of Education’s Executive Office on Early Learning Public Prekindergarten Program.

Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School is also known for being at the forefront of innovative learning. This year marks the school’s 30th anniversary of becoming Hawai‘i’s first student-centered school, following a 1995 memorandum of understanding with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education.