New preschool classrooms under budget, ahead of schedule
Posted: May 17, 2023
Eleven new public pre-K classrooms across the state will open under budget and a year ahead of schedule under Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s Ready Keiki initiative, announced during a news conference Wednesday at Lincoln Elementary School on Oʻahu.
The new preschool rooms will begin taking students at no charge in the 2023-24 school year, an entire school year before the August 2024 opening date originally projected in January.
Luke said the new classrooms being created are costing about $500,000 each, half of their initially projected cost of $1 million a piece.
After the Hawaiʻi Legislature appropriated $200 million to build preschool classrooms last year, Luke and her team worked to identify schools that had existing spaces that could be renovated into preschool classrooms, slashing the cost from $2 million each if classrooms were built from scratch.
“As opposed to building new classrooms, which takes a significant amount of time, and then you have to go through (county) permitting, we decided to concentrate on renovating classrooms,” Luke told the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association.
“There are a lot of classroom spaces that can be renovated,” she added.
Luke said another 50 to 80 preschool classrooms will be created in time to offer free preschool for the 2024-2025 school year, prioritizing classroom and facility conversions and renovations to speed up construction and reduce costs.
This first grade classroom at Lincoln Elementary will be converted into a preschool classroom in the next two months.
Lincoln Elementary Principal Jackie Ornellas explained how a first-grade classroom at her school is undergoing renovations to become a preschool classroom in time for school to resume in August.
“We’re stripping everything in the classroom. So we’re getting brand new walls in there, brand new paint, brand new floors, and it’s going to look state of the art – brand new wood furniture for everything. I looked at some of the furniture yesterday, and it’s beautiful.
“They’re also going to redo the bathrooms, so there will be two tiny brand new toilets for the preschoolers. They’re going to redo the tiles so it’s going to look brand new. Even right outside, they are going to redo the cement so that the slope is correct. Wheelchair accessibility will be compliant there…So outside and inside, it’s going to look like a totally brand new classroom,” she said.
A new preschool playground, complete with a bike path for tricycles and an extra fence for safety, is also being constructed outside the future preschool classroom at Lincoln.
Luke shared an anecdote indicating the community’s eagerness for new preschool classrooms.
“The most exciting thing I heard this morning is when I walked in this cafeteria, I was talking with Principal Ornellas, and she already sent a newsletter out to her parents, and she asked if any of the parents have any younger ones who are willing to go into one of the preschool seats. The number of seats that will be open at Lincoln is 20, and about nine people (from families at the school) have already submitted their application, so that is so exciting.”
During the news conference, Luke unveiled a new Ready Keiki website which includes a searchable interactive map of public and private pre-K classrooms, a classroom construction tracker, frequently asked questions, and an application portal.
Hawaiʻi Board of Education Chair Bruce Voss said, “The work by the lieutenant governor and her team has been tireless. The continuing support and commitment by our legislators has been amazing. And the cooperation between the Department of Education, the school facilities agency, and all stakeholders has been unprecedented to expedite this construction and get us to this point.
“This is just the beginning. But you can already see the vision and the hard work starting to pay off. An entire generation of our students will benefit,” he added.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi signed contracts for each of the 11 schools to operate new preschool classrooms, as state lawmakers who represent districts from many of the schools looked on.
Front row, from left: State Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, State Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi and State House Education Chair Justin Woodson at a contract signing ceremony for the new preschool classroom at Wailuku Elementary, which Woodson represents in the State House; Back row, from left: Executive Office on Early Learning Director Yuuko Arikawa Cross, Board of Education Chair Bruce Voss.
In the session that just ended earlier this month, state lawmakers provided the operational funding for these expanded preschool services in the state’s budget.
The 11 new classrooms are part of a larger effort to build 465 public pre-K classrooms statewide by 2032. According to Ready Keiki, there are currently more than 9,000 underserved 3- and 4-year olds wanting access to public preschool.
About the new preschool classrooms
The new classrooms will be finished in mid to late July in time to open in August for students and be located at the following schools across the islands:
- Fern Elementary School
- Hāna High & Elementary School
- Honowai Elementary School
- Kaʻewai Elementary School
- Kīlauea Elementary School
- Lincoln Elementary School
- Pope Elementary School
- Sunset Beach Elementary School
- Wahiawa Elementary School
- Wailuku Elementary School
- Waimea Elementary School
The new classrooms can each accommodate up to 20 students with a staffing ratio of one teacher and one educational assistant (EA) per classroom.
Priority will be given to:
- Children who are eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and whose Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is determined as general education
- Children in foster care.
- Children who are experiencing homelessness or unstable housing.
- Children who are dual or multi-language learners.
- Children whose family’s income is no more than 300% of the federal poverty level.
- Children who are experiencing at-risk situations which may impact their development and learning.
Learn more about the application process here.
The HSTA will represent the preschool teachers in all of the new classrooms on public and charter school campuses.
From left: Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and Lincoln Elementary Principal Jackie Ornellas hold up a banner advertising free preschool openings that will soon be available at Lincoln, which Luke attended as a child.