Consolidation Hot Topic In Haleiwa
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Del.icio.usConsolidating Haleiwa and Waialua elementary schools for 2011-2012 has been on the Board of Education’s todo list for months now, and the public hearing at 6 p.m. July 7 at Haleiwa Elementary cafeteria will likely be a hollering match for many who oppose the major adjustment.
Suggestions so far to the BOE include 1) closure of HES and realignment of WES to grades K-5 and at Waialua High and Intermediate to grades 6-12; 2) adjustment of attendance areas of the two schools so each has about 350 in grades K-6; and 3) convert one to a middle school (grades 6-8) and transfer all grade 6-8 area students to it.
Waialua Elementary principal Scott Moore thinks the schools should be left to their own devices. “I think it would be best right now to leave well enough alone,” he said. “Both serve very distinct communities, and by closing one school, the other will become grossly overcrowded.”
But he made it clear that it wasn’t a turf war. “I don’t think that we or the parents have any problem with Haleiwa kids coming here, but I think we’d all just prefer to see everything remain stable. If it’s not broke, don’t mess with it. Plus, the sixth-graders would likely be sent to the high school, which is highly inappropriate. Twelve-year-olds aren’t exactly mentally, physically or emotionally mature enough to share space with 18-year-olds. It puts them at risk to a number of factors.”
Haleiwa principal Malaea Wetzel’s position mirrors that of Moore. “I don’t think consolidation is a student-centered decision,” she said. “And there really would be no savings, honestly, because consolidation will still force extra money into the remaining school to support the influx of students. It would actually equal our current budget from what we’ve found.”
But the state crunches the numbers differently, finding a savings of $720,000 per year in operating costs by closing Haleiwa and transferring its 180 students a mile away to Waialua. A merger also eliminates more than $4 million in backlogged repairs.
“I believe the consolidation will prove to be only a short-term solution to the problem,” said Patricia Ann Park, Waialua complex area superintendent. “I just think that everyone needs to be fiscally responsible and make the best decision for the students.”
A decision should come by mid-August, as several other schools also are eyed for consolidation. Go to http://doe.k12.hi.us/index.php.
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