$146 million project uses state, federal funding to transform dated campus
Posted: January 5, 2023
A much-needed renovation at Mokapu Elementary School at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi in Kāneʻohe began this week, funded in part by nearly $100 million in federal tax dollars from the Department of Defense’s Public Schools on Military Installations Program (PSMI).
The $146 million project will construct a new administration, library and classroom buildings, a new cafeteria, learning courtyard, and parking areas, transforming the dated 14-acre campus that originally opened in 1960. Construction is anticipated to take four years to complete.
U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D, Hawaiʻi), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, champions the Department of Defense’s PSMI program, which has delivered nearly $200 million for schools in Hawaiʻi. Hirono attended the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday at Mokapu Elementary, which received $96 million in funding from the program.
“This new campus will serve nearly 1,000 students here at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi, creating a better learning environment for students while also addressing noise and overcrowding issues at Mokapu,” she said.
The project will construct a two-story adminstration/library building, a building with 55 classrooms and support areas, a cafetorium, and covered playcourt buildings — all surrounding a secure learning courtyard. School operations will continue in existing facilities and shift to the new buildings when construction is complete. The old buildings will be demolished, and new play courts and fields will be built in their place.
Superintendent Keith Hayashi said, “The Hawaiʻi Department of Education is very excited for this major improvement project at Mokapu Elementary that will provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi. The Department of Defense is a tremendous partner in modernizing our public schools located on military bases and we appreciate their support.”
Established in 2011, the PSMI program provides funding to construct, renovate, repair, or expand public schools located on military installations to increase capacity and improve facility quality. In addition to the $96 million for Mokapu Elementary, the program has provided $27 million for the Daniel K. Inouye Elementary (formerly Hale Kula) and $70 million for Solomon Elementary at Schofield Barracks Army Base.
Mokapu Elementary is the only public elementary school located on MCBH, and serves mainly military-dependent students from families with members serving in Marine units. It serves 883 students from pre-kindergarten through grade six this school year.
Featured photo courtesy office of U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono.