SCR 162

THE SENATE
S.C.R. NO.
162
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
H.D. 1
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A SHARED DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE TO
DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO ESTABLISH A K-12 KAIAPUNI SCHOOL IN KAPOLEI.
���� WHEREAS, the
State has a duty to ensure access to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi education pursuant to
article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution, which requires the
State to "promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history, and
language"; and
���� WHEREAS, the
establishment of Kaiapuni schools, or Hawaiian language immersion schools,
which educate in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, is one way the State is
intentionally adhering to its constitutional obligations and fulfilling its
commitment to preserving the Hawaiian language for future generations;
and
���� WHEREAS,
accordingly, the Board of Education is implementing a Kaiapuni Strategic Plan
to grow Kaiapuni programs to meet demand and expand access across the State;
and
���� WHEREAS,
there are only three Kaiapuni schools on Oʻahu
that serve students in grades kindergarten through twelve, Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Pūʻōhala
and Ke Kula ʻO Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory
Public Charter School in Kāneʻohe and Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Ānuenue in Honolulu; and
���� WHEREAS,
Kapolei High School currently only offers Kaiapuni education for grade nine,
and Kapolei Middle School only offers Kaiapuni education for grades seven and
eight; and
���� WHEREAS, many
students in the ʻEwa
land district and the surrounding land districts of Waiʻanae and Waialua are forced to commute to
Honolulu to pursue Kaiapuni
education; and
���� WHEREAS,
forty-two percent of Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO
Ānuenue students who
travel to school come from the ʻEwa and Waiʻanae areas; and
���� WHEREAS, this
creates significant barriers for students in continuing Hawaiian language
education and leaves many students who reside outside of Honolulu without a
clear pathway to continue their Kaiapuni education cohesively and throughout
high school; and
���� WHEREAS, the
neighborhood boards of Pearl City, Makakilo-Kapolei-Honokai Hale, and ʻEwa have all adopted
resolutions in support of establishing a K-12 self-contained Hawaiian immersion
school in Kapolei; and
���� WHEREAS, a
shared decision-making committee is a collaborative process where stakeholders
collectively make decisions and facilitate planning; and
���� WHEREAS,
establishing a shared decision-making committee comprised of Hawaiian immersion
educators, community members, parents, and administrators will facilitate
effective action planning and resource allocation as well as ensure the K-12
Kaiapuni in Kapolei meets the unique needs of current and future students; now,
therefore,
���� BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the
Department of Education is requested to convene a
shared decision-making committee to develop an action plan to establish a
K-12 Kaiapuni school in Kapolei; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the shared decision-making committee is requested to consist of twelve
members, serving for two-year terms, as follows:
���� (1)� The Superintendent of Education, or the
Superintendent's designee;
���� (2)� Principals from relevant elementary, middle,
intermediate, and high schools, such as Nānākuli
Elementary School, Waiau Elementary School, Kapolei Middle School, and Kapolei
High School, or their designees;
���� (3)� Three current Kaiapuni teachers from schools
such as:
��������� (A)� Kapolei Middle School;
��������� (B)� Kapolei High School; and
��������� (C)� A feeder elementary immersion school such as
Waiau Elementary School or Nānākuli
Elementary School;
���� (4)� The Dual Chancellor for Leeward Community
College and the University of Hawaiʻi-West
Oʻahu, or the Chancellor's
designee;
���� (5)� A professor or administrator from either
Leeward Community College or the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
with experience in education and teacher training; and
���� (6)� Four community members to be invited to
participate on the committee as follows:
��������� (A)� Two members of relevant community-based,
school-based, or cultural nonprofit organizations;
��������� (B)� One parent of a current student of Ke Kula
Kaiapuni ʻO
Kapolei; and
��������� (C)� One parent of a current student of an
elementary Kaiapuni program;
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the action plan is requested to outline goals, objectives, and
strategies necessary to achieve a new Kaiapuni K-12 school in Kapolei,
including but not limited to the following:
���� (1)� Facility planning and site selection;
���� (2)� Kumu Kaiapuni recruitment and retention;
���� (3)� Curriculum and instruction planning;
���� (4)� Resource allocation policies;
���� (5)� Predicted statewide impact on existing
Kaiapuni schools and programs;
���� (6)� Recommendations to the Department of Education
to standardize, streamline, and facilitate the establishment or expansion of
new or existing Kaiapuni schools statewide; and
���� (7)� Any additional policies as determined by the
shared decision-making committee; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the action plan is requested to include a process for phasing in
Kaiapuni education by:
���� (1)� Securing a permanent site for a K-12 Kaiapuni
school in Kapolei to be used by kindergarten, first, and second grades by the
2027-2028 school year;
���� (2)� Integrating grades three, four, five, and six
by the 2028-2029 school year; and
���� (3)� Integrating middle school, intermediate
school, and high school students once all other grades are phased in; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to allocate four faculty
positions and one administrative position to support Kaiapuni education in the
2027-2028 school year and additional faculty and administrative positions in
the following school years based on enrollment numbers of current and potential
Kaiapuni students that live in the ʻEwa,
Waialua, and Waiʻanae
land districts; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the decision-making committee is requested to submit a progress
report on the status of the action plan to the Legislature no later than twenty
days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2027 and 2028; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the decision-making committee is requested to submit a final report
of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the
Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular
Session of 2029; and
���� BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to
the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, Dual
Chancellor for Leeward Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu, and Campbell-Kapolei
Complex Area Superintendent.
Report Title:�
Kaiapuni
Education; Shared Decision-making Committee; Department of Education; Kapolei