Facing a chorus of criticism, the superintendent apologizes
Posted: August 31, 2023
Frustrated Maui families told Hawaiʻi State Department of Education leaders in public meetings Wednesday that they’re frustrated by a lack of communication from the department, and they’re overwhelmingly opposed to busing their students to Central or South Maui daily to other campuses following fatal wildfires earlier this month.
Mikey Burke, a parent of several children enrolled at Kula Kaiapuni o Lāhainā, told state Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi, “Nothing is going to work for them unless they are schooled out here (in the Lāhainā area). So whatever options you are thinking or exploring on that side, stop, OK?”
“This is a disaster zone. Get the kids under something like this,” Burke added, referring to the large tent the meeting was held under Wednesday morning outside Citizen Church in Kahana, in West Maui.
“If you have to lower your health and safety standards, obviously, you can’t treat it the same as having four walls in a school. We have to lower it a little bit. Still keep them safe, obviously, but can they be safe and healthy under a tent like this? Can they be safe and healthy with the community members that are going to volunteer to be there and help to support. Are we willing to use porta-potties for the time being? Yeah. I mean, we are people of the ʻāina here. We know how to rough it in Lāhainā,” Burke added.
In response to Burke’s testimony, Bill Tatro, a Lāhaināluna High math teacher told the crowd, “I am a teacher at Lahainaluna High School. I can teach in this building,” eliciting applause and shouts of support from the approximately 600 people who attended the morning community gathering.
Another parent told Hayashi: “The vast majority of the population left on the West side is up north. And you want the rest of the population, that’s doing its best to carry on to go through Lāhainā and the dangerous zone? We need a school up here for the kids. Temporary, I don’t care. But this is the state that needs to step up and buy land, lease land, rent land.”
Hayashi: Reopening dates for Lahaina campuses, plans are ‘fluid’
On Tuesday, HIDOE announced a tentative reopening date for the three Lāhainā campuses of Oct. 16, following the week-long fall break, as long as environmental assessments for air, water and soil quality indicate it’s safe for students and staff to return, and power sources and broadband connectivity have been stabilized.
Soil samples were gathered from the campuses this week and need to be sent to Oʻahu for processing first and then to the continental United States for analysis, Hayashi said. He added that screening for dioxins can take several weeks, so it’s not a quick process.
Hearing that news upset another Lāhainā-area parent, who said, “What are you going to do? I want answers. You guys keep going back to the health, the safety. You guys had three weeks already to do the soil. What happened? You guys could have done the soil two weeks ago. Our students want to go back to school. They want to go back. And everybody’s on this side. Figure something out!”
Hayashi told her and the audience, “We do care. We do. I understand the frustration. I really do. And you care about your children, you care about the Lāhainā community. And we do too. The question deals with why weren’t things done sooner. You know, if we could go back and do it again, we’d make perhaps different decisions. And so I apologize for that. I am here to genuinely hear your concerns and taking them in. And I tell you, they will be considered.”
Hayashi emphasized that all of the education department’s plans are “fluid” and could change, depending on a number of different factors.
“We continue to look for opportunities in West Maui for our students who elect not to move or to transfer to other schools,” Hayashi said.
“We’ve spent the last two days together with our educators and staff from the four schools and we’ve heard from them loud and clear that’ it’s really important for us to keep our students together as much as possible upon returning to our campuses,” Hayashi said, prompting applause from the audience.
As of Wednesday, 1,757 West Maui students — or 60% of the total enrollment — have not transferred to public schools elsewhere or may have enrolled in private schools, moved out of state or are unaccounted for, according to HIDOE. A total of 732 enrolled in other Hawaiʻi public schools, and 478 students, including those in Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian-language immersion programs, signed up for the State Distance Learning Program, which is maxed out right now.
At least 300 Maui students are on a waiting list for the distance learning program, HIDOE officials said, and more students will be allowed to join distance learning as the department hires teachers and receives Chromebooks for students.
Another parent warned HIDOE officials of other problems if backup campuses can’t be found soon.
“I see West Maui’s workforce sitting here missing work for this, and some people are lucky and still have our jobs. But we’re worried because school, honestly, is still our main source of child care. And we won’t both be able to work if one of us has to be home with our child even to do a hybrid option. We won’t be able to pay our mortgage if we both can’t work. So there’s a looming crisis, I believe, if we don’t address the schooling from a childcare perspective as soon as possible,” the parent said.
A second meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului drew an estimated 250 parents and HIDOE employees.
HSTA Maui Chapter president: ‘We should have had these meetings weeks ago, not just now after a plan is concocted’
Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui, Jr., who attended a convening of educators Monday and the community meetings Wednesday on Maui, said, “I think this listening should have been the beginning of everything, and then you make plans.”
“We can’t change the past, and so we just have to move forward from what we’re doing, work in partnership with the department to make sure that our members’ rights are preserved, and that as we look to maybe moving people into different schools and things like that, that the discussions happen with us, and that they don’t just happen without our input,” added Tui.
Mike Landes, a social studies teacher at Lāhaināluna High and HSTA’s Maui Chapter president, said, “The community’s been pretty angry that nobody’s been asking them anything, and that nobody’s been giving them a chance to give any input until now, three weeks after the disaster. So not surprised that there’s definitely frustration and anger coming out from the community. Not surprised to hear them say that the community’s voices are the ones that need to be heard and that the community wants to stay together, and that they’re frustrated at the lack of communication that they’ve received from the people at the very top.”
After hearing emotional and critical testimony from one parent after another Wednesday, Landes said, “We actually heard the superintendent utter the phrase, ʻI apologize about the lack of communication that people have received,’ and said that if they could go back and do things differently, there’s certainly things that they would consider.”
“There’s been a lot of people who have been saying the communication has been sorely lacking, and we should have had these meetings weeks ago, not just now after a plan is concocted. So maybe he’s actually starting to hear what the people have been trying to say,” added Landes, who is the elected president representing more than 1,400 public and charter school teachers on the island of Maui and has two children enrolled in Lāhainā schools.
Teachers speak out at Lāhaināluna Complex convening
More than 300 faculty and staff from Lāhainā’s four public schools gathered officially for the first time Monday and Tuesday since the destruction of so much of their town for a Lāhaināluna Complex Staff Convening.
They told the superintendent and other education department leaders that HIDOE should have held meetings with staff and the community to learn about concerns and input before making key decisions, some of which HIDOE has been forced to reverse or change after criticism from educators and the West Maui community.
One teacher spoke about how parents were asking her about the decisions that were announced regarding options for students, but staff hadn’t been given any heads up and she felt foolish for not knowing. “Pushing options without our opinions causes more anger.”
A counselor at King Kamehameha III talked about airplane safety instructions and how they say to put on your mask before helping others. “We have nothing and you want to talk about curriculum? We don’t even have our own clothes and can’t even think about tomorrow! How can we fix things for others when we ourselves are broken?”
A Lāhainā Intermediate teacher was brutally honest with her words.
“We want to be given resources for our trauma, not just a bag for the ashes and a packet on where else we want to teach! I appreciate the condolences and mahalos, but they’re just words. When we have to clap for people telling us how hard it is to drive through the zone, it’s insulting! We are always leaned on, through COVID and now. That’s what teachers do. But it’s not all about just just getting back to business. Is there anything we’ll see as we’re the ones who will have to stay strong for the keiki?! I’m so frustrated so far!” the teacher told HIDOE leaders.
Another King Kamehameha III teacher explained, “I hear a resounding statement today about wellness, but my wellness can’t be maintained if I have to drive through the devastation daily. I just want to have my job and not have to retraumatize myself daily!”
A speaker from Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary brought up a phrase used by a mental health expert.
“I feel the same as the others. It was said that you’re a ‘tough audience.’ Yeah, we’re tough. We’re going through PTSD! You could have talked about the future plan tomorrow. This is the first time we’re being with each other since the tragedy. For you to not embrace us and take care of us like you want us to do with the keiki is unacceptable. This community meeting on Wednesday – I contacted thirty parents and NONE of them knew about it. How do you have a community meeting if none of them know?” the educator asked.
Another Princess teacher held back her sobs during a raw emotional plea to HIDOE leaders.
“You see teachers, but I see family and friends,” she told them.
“One child, after the fire, came running to us and said, ‘Hey, kumu! Kumu!’ and came and hugged and hugged and cried. Those above us who say they’re here with us, don’t lose sight. Be. With. Us. We’re waiting. We’re giving you chances to step in the circles with us. Don’t separate the keiki from our families and extended ‘ohana. We will heal and need to heal with our students and our parents. Listen with your heart. You tell us to do it all the time. We ask you to do the same,” the teacher said.
As of Thursday, the HSTA distributed nearly $120,000 in relief checks to 121 members and three teacher retirees who lost their homes and classrooms in the Aug. 8 fires. HSTA’s emergency fire response efforts are being paid for with union funds as well as $130,000 worth of donations received so far from individuals and organizations from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawai’i, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“I am humbled by just how far and wide people have opened their pocketbooks to support our affected members,” said Osa Tui, HSTA’s president.
HSTA’s donation webpage is continuously updated with new ways to donate to educators affected by the fires.
The Maui fires killed at least 115 people, displaced about 4,300 others and damaged or destroyed 2,700 buildings. The deadliest fires in U.S. history for more than a century, they caused an estimated $5.6 billion in damage.