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After meeting with Wesley Lo, Maui’s BOE Represetative, Sen. Roz Baker, Rep. Kaniela Ing, George Fontaine, JoAnn Inamasu, and union officials for two years, the Kihei community received word of the State’s $130 million funding to construct the new Kihei High School.

http://bit.ly/15RzTjb

Now the County of Maui has until July 1, 2015 to resolve the water and zoning issues for the high school.  The DOE will also forge ahead with the RFP process for the construction of the high school as a Design/Build project.

KHS Site Visit in October, 2012

Here’s where to find out the most current Kihei High School information from the Kihei Community Association’s Education Committee.

http://www.friendsofkihei.com

At our May, 2012 meeting with the Maui BOE representative, Wesley Lo, we collectively decided to pursue Kihei High School as a project under Governor Abercrombie’s *21st Century Schools Pilot Program*.  Wesley meets with the Governor on June 14th.  Friends of Kihei High School, a committee under the Kihei Community Association, will meet with Wesley Lo later in June, 2012 to receive an update on whether KHS was selected as a *Pilot School* by the Governor.

The mission of Friends of Kihei High School is enrollment into the new high school sooner than rather later.  Please see the most recent timeline from the DOE below, left:

Government Cooperation will be Needed for Kihei High School

To keep each stage of the procurement process as tight as possible, Friends of Kihei High School (a sub-committee of the Kihei Community Association) has been working since March, 2011, with Hawai’i Legislators, the Maui Planning Commission, County Council members, Mayor Alan Arakawa, Governor Abercrombie’s Maui representative, developers, and ranch owners. Of huge importance has been our positive relationship and cooperation established with Kihei’s governor-appointed Board of Education representative, Wesley Lo.

State Senator, Roz Baker, proposed a $20 million Senate Bill this spring, 2012 session to fund the initial horizontal high school infrastructure. The Senate Ways and Means Committee deferred the bill on February 28, 2012. Follow the link here:

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2996

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Under the eyes and leadership of Kihei Community Association Director, Andrew Beerer, Friends of Kihei High School 2011 accomplishments include:

-The sale of ranch land to the State of Hawai’i  (a piece each of Kaono’ulu and Haleakala ranches).  The deed was recorded with the county of Maui in early February, 2012.

-Stakeholder relationships built and continually updated via the *Friends of Kihei High School* website with the most accurate information.

-Asking the developers of entitled parcels surrounding the high school for input on *stub out* cooperation opportunities for water, sewer, and drainage measurements and calculations NOW to save time and money for all stakeholders in the future including our community and the Dept. of Education.

It is clear government cooperation will be needed to build the Kihei High School. In recent testimony received by the Maui Planning Commission on February 14, 2012, there were two important items excluded from the Kihei High School Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): The Draft EIS released in November, 2011 calculated potential student attendance at the High School and used the 2000 U.S. Census data (not 2010 census data) and excluded the 1,200 unit Alexander & Baldwin project in North Kihei already approved by the county.

The Friends of Kihei High School recognizes the ongoing, positive relationships we have established with all involved.  Although the latest DOE timeline above states the DOE begins operation of the school in June, 2014, ground has not been broken yet for the project.

Your comments and/or email address below to stay in touch are welcomed and appreciated.