HI HR171

Requests the Hawaii Department of Education to convene an 11-member shared decision-making committee to develop an action plan for establishing a K-12 Kaiapuni (Hawaiian language immersion) school in Kapolei.

Currently only three K-12 Kaiapuni schools exist on Oʻahu, all located in Kāneʻohe and Honolulu, forcing 42% of Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Ānuenue students to commute from the ʻEwa and Waiʻanae areas.

The committee would include the Superintendent of Education, school principals, three Kaiapuni teachers, representatives from Leeward Community College and UH-West Oʻahu, and three community members serving two-year terms.

The action plan would cover facility planning, teacher recruitment and retention, curriculum development, and resource allocation, with a phased approach starting with grades K-2 by the 2027-2028 school year.

Requests allocation of four faculty positions and one administrative position for the 2027-2028 school year, with a report due to the Legislature twenty days before the Regular Session of 2027.