July 8 Meeting - Family Engagement and Support Join by Zoom to hear Kat O‘Dell, network coordinator for HOSN (Hawai‘i Ohana Support Network) which delivers family engagement services including Family Resource Centers in our schools. Kat is known to many of you, not only a family enagement expert, also a early childhood learning PhD educator, instructor at UH and WW College.

August 12 Meeting - Early Childhood Learning in Hawai‘i

Come in person or join by zoom to learn from Yuuko Arikawa-Cross about how programs are growing and doing. Bring your questions and comments for a good discussion and a delicious lunch.

June Meeting Notes

Brian Hallett, Asst. Supt. Finance, and CFO for HI DOE-- joined us bringing 3 staff members to update us on their view of the district financial picture for the upcoming year.

Brian explained, to alleviate concerns we all have, that education is “forward funded” meaning that the US ED funding for the HI DOE 2025-2026 year is already committed and will be received. Brian and his team are watching the situation closely and will be prepared to work for solutions if/when cuts occur.

So in short: no problem is foreseen with the 2025-26 HI DOE budget support from the US ED.

However, other funding of programs important to our families could be hurt by pending legislation - medicaid, SNAP, etc. We now have a great open channel and will continue to communicate with Brian and his staff with our concerns and for their updates.

Funding Cut Log We believe some programs at UH have already been cut that support K12 learning, via teacher professional development and other.t

We understand Gear Up likely will not continue to be funded. We hope that P20 has adequate funds for their important work without Gear Up.

If you have info on cuts to education or family services, please send them to me director@heecoalition.org. We will start and share a log of programs cut or in danger.

Our Meeting Learning about Kāne‘ohe Hawaiian Immersion Pū’ōhala School and Pūnana Leo o Koʻolau Poko preschool

(If interested, see notes on the HI BOE meeting and the link to the video of the testimony in the item below from last week's update.)

First student Lauae Mosely spoke by zoom about the experience of growing up in the school, seeing its growth, and the strength of its comunity.

Then - Lehua Coloma, Special Ed teacher and Waianuhea Walk, Lead 6-12 teacher spoke in person.

Here is a link to their presentation.

Background

Originally an elementary school, Pū’ōhala now delivers Hawaiian immersion education to grades k-12. Each grade has been growing i numbers and over the past few years grades 7-12 were added.

Pūnana Leo rents two classrooms from the DOE and provides community (private, the parents pay). The three school buildings also house English students for grades K-6. Students and parents testified to the HI BOE meeting June 19 that while their numbers are growing, they have been told that one preschool classroom would have to be reclaimed due to special education classroom needs. The upper Pū’ōhala School offered to "give up" one of its classrooms so both preschool classrooms could continue. That room was taken, but the preschool classroom is still reclaimed by the HI DOE.

All of us in the meeting were impressed by the quality of research and presentation by the group supporting the 2nd preschool classroom. The charts in the presentation make clear the healthy pattern of growth of Hawaiian immersion at this school. Reducing its preschool capacity by 50% when additional space -- beyond immediate needs-- could be provided if the English k-6 students transferred to any of the 3 elementary schools all withing 1.5 miles of this school.

Exec Director of EOEL, Yuuko Arikawa-Cross has been helpful informing me on the complex ways the various types of early learning services are established and how they relate to the DOE. I am still learning! Yuuko is going to meet with us to help us all to understand and support the growth of early learning at our August 12th meeting at PACT.

I have been trying to meet with Pū’ōhala principal, Kathy Kahikina but have not been able to get an appointment. Waianuhea and other leaders met with complex area superintendent Sam Izumi. They are working on scheduling meetings with the HI BOE Student Achievement Committee and with Lt. Gov Sylvia Luke.

We will continue to seek information, and to look for ways to maintain the preschool capacity at Pū’ōhala School.

We convened early at 11:30am to get our lunch plates and we stayed late to eat the 2 key lime pies I baked— one healthy, one evil. Folks told me they liked both pies— some were surprised they liked a key lime pie with no sugar— only avocados and limes and maple syrup in a pecan and date crust. :)

Images and Notes from Last Week's Update

Shortage of Space for Hawaiian Immersion Preschool? Critical continuity of grades PreK- 12? Inadequate Prioritization?

The day before the BOE meeting, we received a Pū‘ohala parent request that HE‘E support their testimony to the BOE to prevent the closure of one of two pre-school classrooms at Pūnana Leo o Koʻolau for Hawaiian immersion.

The item was not on the BOE agenda, so by BOE policy, it would not be allowed to be discussed and because there would not be enough time for the public to hear and react. I let them know we would explore the issues, but that we would not be ready to testimony on this item on Thursday. I have invited representatives who spoke at today's BOE meeting to our HE‘E meeting on Tuesday.

Many parents attended the BOE meeting supporting this issue. However the board chair made clear that the Sunshine law prevent testimony. Two board members urged the chair to reconsider to let the testifiers speak, though they were cautioned not to ask for specific action which is not permissable under the Sunshine law. At the end of the many moving testimonies, the students, teachers, and family members stood and sang. Click here for the June 19, 2025 Board Meeting Video The testimony begins at the 26 minute point in the BOE meeting video.

BOE Meeting 6/19/25

The rest of the June 19, 2025 Board Meeting

Superintendent's Report

1. National Teacher Hall of Fame- Dr. Pascale Creek Pinner Hilo Int. one of 5 teachers inducted
2. Kailua-Kalaheo use of SBA creative use of assessment resources
3. Award of merit to communication, marketing - attend today, achieve tomorrow, weekly newsletter,
4. Lahaina educator housing - $20M, 47 rental units - 1 and 2 BR homes, 5 Acres, ready by Dec 2025.
5. 11,000 graduates from 46 High Schools
6. 95% of schools (245) are offering summer programs - some funded by legislature.
7. 121 Internships in the BOE and DOE
8. 68 schools are serving free breakfast and lunch open to all students 18 and younger, do not need to be signed up or attend that school. $12B cut to US ED budget "simplified budget" This could cause a $24M cut to HI DOE in EL, migrant, adult education - July house vote, August senate vote.

In addition to the Hawaiian immersion allocation issues and the superintendents report, the state librarian reported on the beautiful new meaningful logo and services for the public to make the summer yet better.

Also, the BOE voted on candidates to fill positions on the charter school board.

This link takes us to an accurate list of Kaiapuni Hawaiian Immersion Schools. Thank you Yuuko Arikawa-Cross for this good list!

We hope to see you at our in-person meeting on June 24th at PACT at 1300 Halona Street in Kalihi for lunch and Key Lime Pies- or join us by Zoom! Mahalo for all you do!

Deborah

director@heecoalition.org

Deborah Bond-Upson