Latest news with #SylviaLuke
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State agency's preschool production pipeline bulges while other projects hit roadblocks
RELATED PHOTO GALLERY Inside what looks like it could've been an art classroom at a Moiliili elementary school, a former engineer is leading a small team on a big quest to develop preschool classrooms, teacher housing and a more than $300 million new school. Riki Fujitani, executive director of the state School Facilities Authority, has made major strides in one lane of work a little over a year since the fledgling agency's first leader resigned under fire at the Legislature, though struggles in other areas remain. During the waning 2024-2025 school year, the SFA added new public preschool space for 849 children, after an initial 213 preschool seats the year before, when some state lawmakers were pushing to abolish the autonomous agency four years after its creation by the Legislature without initial funding or staff. Next school year, the agency with eight employees and expanding funds anticipates adding preschool space for an additional 497 children toward a long-term goal to help produce classrooms for all Hawaii 3-and 4-year-olds by 2032 under a 2023 Ready Keiki initiative led by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke. Only a little more than half of all preschool-age children in Hawaii are enrolled in preschool, and 95 % who are enrolled go to private programs that can cost several hundred dollars to over $1, 000 per month. Serving more children with free public preschool can provide families financial relief and set up keiki for better learning outcomes starting in kindergarten. Work to develop affordable rental housing largely for public schoolteachers plus a new middle and elementary school on Maui has not made nearly as much progress. Yet SFA has found some solid footing after floundering for most of its existence. Fujitani, who was once an electrical engineer at satellite maker TRW Inc. and later became a litigation attorney, kind of looks at SFA as a special-projects team. 'My analogy I tell people is like Skunk Works, ' he said during an interview in the agency's spartan office at Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary School. 'Lockheed had to set up Skunk Works to build the stealth fighter.' Brian Canevari, SFA program manager for teacher housing, has another business analogy for the agency, which is governed by a volunteer board. 'It's kind of like a startup working in a garage, except it's a classroom building, ' he said. Preschool pipeline Much of what SFA has done so far has been procured through design consultants and other contractors. All preschool classrooms created by the agency to date stem from minor renovations made to state Department of Education classrooms not needed for higher grades. Such work includes furniture, flooring and bathroom fixture replacements requiring no building permits and at an average cost of $345, 000 per classroom, or $17, 250 per seat for a typical 20-seat classroom. The agency projects producing close to 100 classrooms this way for 2, 039 students by mid-2027, exhausting all spare DOE classroom space. SFA also has a couple major school renovation projects to produce five classrooms for 90 children. One of these involves major changes to three classrooms and building one new classroom at Waialae Elementary Public Charter School. Construction is expected to begin on the three classroom conversions this summer and finish before school resumes in August. Building the new classroom is slated for next summer. The project is budgeted at $50, 000 per seat, or $1 million for a 20-seat classroom. A third SFA strategy to deliver preschool classrooms is new construction in new or existing state buildings. For instance, eight classrooms for 126 children are being built in a graduate housing tower rising at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. That project costs about $79, 000, or $10 million in total. New classrooms also are planned for the Pearl City Public Library, Waikoloa Public Library, Kauai Community College, 'Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, Paia Elementary School on Maui, Malama Honua Public Charter School in Waimanalo and a state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands community center on Hawaii island. SFA plans to deliver classrooms for 1, 392 children using new construction from 2026 to 2029. All currently planned preschool projects would serve 3, 521 children, or a little more than half of 6, 737 children in need estimated by Ready Keiki. Fujitani said fulfilling the Ready Keiki plan represents an 'aspirational ' goal that would require 56 sites. Balky start SFA is five years old, but initial funding and staff date only to 2022. That year, the Legislature appropriated $200 million for preschool classroom development and money for staffing. Then-Gov. David Ige appointed career educator Chad Keone Farias to lead SFA for a six-year term. Farias, however, resigned in January 2024 as a dozen state senators pushed a bill to repeal the agency. The departure by Farias also followed big funding reductions for preschools and teacher housing in 2023 by Gov. Josh Green, who released only $81.7 million of the $200 million for preschool development. Separately, Green eliminated all but $5 million of a $170 million legislative appropriation for teacher housing in 2023, vetoing $120 million and later redirecting $45 million for Maui wildfire disaster relief. Fujitani, who in 2017 had joined a division of DOE working on deferred school maintenance, was asked by SFA Board Chair Alan Oshima to succeed Farias at least on an interim basis. The 64-year-old Fujitani, who had once been a litigator in a law firm where Oshima was a partner, agreed with some reluctance. 'It was not in good shape, ' Fujitani said. He replaced most of what had been a staff of six and canceled plans to lease office space in Kakaako to house SFA. 'We had to reload, ' he said. Since 2024, the Legislature has appropriated an additional $120 million for preschools—$100 million last year and $20 million this year—and SFA's staff is up to eight, including program managers for preschool, teacher housing and new school development, a planning officer, an administrative services officer and a business manager. Four more authorized positions are as yet unfilled, including a procurement specialist, a land agent and a secretary under SFA's roughly $1.7 million annual operating budget. While the agency has racked up preschool achievements, developing teacher housing and new schools has been more problematic. Housing hang-ups In 2023, the Legislature assigned seven teacher housing projects to SFA with the $170 million that Green cut down to $5 million. At the top of the list was $65 million appropriated for housing at Mililani High School. Another $25 million was slated for Nanakuli and Waipahu housing projects, and four $20 million projects were directed for Windward Oahu, Maui County, Hawaii island and Kauai. Fujitani told House Finance Committee members during a Jan. 9 briefing that the best place for affordable teacher housing is urban Honolulu, and that SFA was assigned what became a 109-unit pilot project in Mililani that hasn't gone well. After the funding cuts, SFA used the remaining $5 million to procure a development agreement with nonprofit affordable-housing developer Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. A contract with Pacific Housing was signed in August, but the project site drew objections from school officials, and the developer is studying alternative site prospects. SFA earlier this year asked lawmakers for $20 million to procure five more housing development agreements. The Legislature approved $2 million. Some lawmakers did consider appropriating $50 million for the Mililani project instead of relying on Pacific Housing to arrange its own financing. But the proposed funding, inserted into House Bill 329 that aimed to clarify SFA responsibilities, was not in the final version of the bill that passed. Meanwhile, SFA hasn't been able to obtain other DOE sites for teacher housing despite identifying about 25 prospects and having the statutory power to acquire such land with approval from the governor. Canevari told SFA's board at its April meeting that DOE isn't supportive of what he called 'highly probable ' candidate sites. DOE spokesperson Nanea Kalani said the response was preliminary feedback. 'Any project of this nature requires careful consideration to ensure it doesn't interfere with student safety, daily school operations, or the learning environment, ' she said in an email. 'Our initial reviews, looking at factors like traffic and parking, highlighted the need for further due diligence before we could support development at these locations.' Fujitani believes bureaucratic inertia at DOE is stifling progress on teacher housing development. 'Change is hard, ' he said, gesturing to a big open space at Kuhio Elementary adjacent to three roughly 20-story residential buildings where he believes 800 homes could be developed. 'It's just inertia.' Some state lawmakers tried to drive the issue earlier this year by adding language to Senate Bill 1393 to repeal SFA's power to have DOE convey land upon SFA's request and approval of the governor. The bill did not pass. New school division Another clash between SFA, DOE and state lawmakers has been over new schools. SFA was created in part to take over new school development from DOE using innovative ways to expedite construction while leaving DOE to address huge deferred maintenance needs for existing schools. Yet lawmakers have provided partial funding to SFA for only one new school, an envisioned middle and elementary campus in Central Maui where an initial $20 million appropriation was made in 2022 followed by $10 million in 2023 and $9 million in 2024. This year, Green sought $100 million more for the project, which is expected to cost over $300 million, though the Legislature approved $37 million. DOE, meanwhile, has plans for about 16 other new schools. During a Jan. 14 SFA briefing to a pair of Senate committees overseeing education and budgetary matters, some lawmakers expressed frustration with the agency's limited role in new school development. 'It seems like that need is not a need, ' said Sen. Kurt Fevella. 'It's a big mess.' Fevella (R, Ewa Beach-Ocean Pointe-Iroquois Point ) complained that the Ewa region has several badly overcrowded schools and a bigger need for new schools than Central Maui. Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-Wahiawa-Whitmore Village ) questioned who determines new school priorities. 'There's a big disconnect between what's going on in the operations of DOE vs. SFA, ' he told Fujitani. 'Your board has no idea what's going on with board business at DOE. That's awkward. Some of that got to get cleaned up.' Fujitani responded by saying DOE data shows a big need for a new middle and elementary school in Central Maui, and that he is pursuing the project at the Legislature's direction. SFA has described the Maui project an opportunity to produce a new school in half the time and 75 % of the cost of a typical new Hawaii school by using new standards, a design-build method and modular construction. To date, only $20 million of the $76 million appropriated for the school has been released. Of the $20 million, $2.2 million has been spent on design work and the rest is committed to be spent on similar work. Fujitani said construction on an initial $180 million phase for 300 middle-school students could begin in 2028 and finish in 2030. A second phase is envisioned for 600 to 700 more middle school students. A third phase would be for elementary students. Projected full capacity is 1, 450 students. At one point during this year's legislative session, some lawmakers proposed $30 million in HB 329 for SFA to take over DOE work to replace a Lahaina elementary school destroyed in the 2023 wildfire disaster. The proposal did not end up in the final version of the bill sent to Green. HB 329, if enacted, would eliminate SFA's prior responsibility to develop all new public schools and instead refocus the agency's responsibility mainly on developing preschool and childcare facilities, workforce housing and new school development assigned by the Legislature, the governor or the state Board of Education.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tourism agency brings back passenger counts after data blip
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has restored passenger counts from international and domestic travelers, correcting at least part of the blip in data caused by the pilot program for a digitized agriculture disclosure form. Eliminating the optional tourism questions on the back of the form for the Akamai Arrival pilot program, which runs from March 1 to May 31, initially caused the department to remove its daily passenger counts, a real-time measuring tool that has been available since Sept. 11, 2001. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the optional tourism questions on the back of the printed agricultural form were left off the digitized version to better measure compliance. She said officials chose a simplified form as they were worried that adding the more time-consuming tourism questions might skew the pilot's participation rate. Luke said the optional tourism questions currently have about a 40 % compliance rate. Jennifer Chun, DBEDT director of tourism research, estimates that the pilot eliminates tourism questions from all arriving Southwest flights, all American flights, five Alaska flights, one Delta flight, two Hawaiian flights and two United flights—roughly 31 % of scheduled flights and 28.4 % of scheduled air seats. DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka said the agency received complaints after the pilot began March 1 and the agency removed daily passenger counts from its website. Tokioka said recently that DBEDT's Research and Economic Analysis Division restored the international passenger counts as of May 1, and on May 5 resumed the reporting of domestic data, albeit with a one-week delay. 'The Department of Agriculture is now providing DBEDT with the daily passenger data on a weekly basis, and we are currently working with DOA on a memorandum of understanding to receive and report the data on a daily basis, ' he said in an email to the Star-Advertiser. 'Once the MOU is approved, we will report the data at the same schedule as we have been using in the past.' The initiative was authorized under Act 196 and has been touted by state leaders, including Gov. Josh Green, Luke and Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor ) as a significant step toward modernizing Hawaii's bio security efforts. Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, said he started advocating for a digital agricultural form five years ago and initially was met with resistance, until 2024 when lawmakers passed a law encouraging the migration from paper to an app. He said ending the in-flight paper agricultural form would save at least $800, 000 annually, but more important, digitization increases completion rates and strengthens protections against invasive species. Passengers typically would complete the digitized form in advance of boarding their flight. But the initial data gap from the pilot left economists and tourism research professionals stumped on how to get enough nuanced information to calculate year-over-year comparisons for the monthly visitor arrivals and spending reports. They criticized the decision to discontinue the existing methodology, instead of temporarily running both programs in parallel so as to benchmark against the pre-existing methodology. Tokioka said DBEDT is now receiving data from the Akamai Arrival Program, so 'all the data are comparable to the past and the comparisons are valid.' He said DBEDT is planning for the future when the Plants and Animals Declaration Form becomes 100 % digital. Once that occurs, Toki oka said, 'DBEDT has two options to collect the domestic visitor data : (1 ) switch domestic visitor data collection to an airport departure survey ; (2 ) digitize the tourism survey form.' DBEDT is planning a pilot program to test the effectiveness of the two methods.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hawaiʻi to host international gaming tournament on March 25
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Farrington High School will set the scene for an international esports tournament on March 29, with competitive gamers from Asia and the mainland looking to engage in Hawaiʻi's emerging esports scene. 'Hawaiʻi is proud to welcome some the world's top esports talent to the Honolulu International Esports Tournament,' said Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke. 'As Hawaiʻi's first international esports tournament, this event showcases the power of esports to inspire students, create career pathways in technology and connect players from diverse backgrounds… We look forward to welcoming more teams from across the country and around the world as Hawaiʻi continues to grow as a global esports hub.' Kīlauea begins episode 15 of eruption Nine students from University of Utah, including their Asia campus, will compete in non-violent computer games against gamers from Farrington High School, as well as other Oʻahu schools. According to officials, this event highlights esports as a gateway to tech careers. The University of Utah's partnership with Farrington High has helped the school's esports program flourish, opening up opportunities for students to gain priceless experiences that prepare them for careers in game development, animation and interactive media careers.'As our esports-friendly competition continues to grow with participants from middle school, high school and post-high school organizations, partnerships like this go a long way to promoting our long-term goal of global education and workforce development into various high tech industries,' said Farrington Esports Program Director Josh Dimaya. Even Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is excited for the tournament, saying that esports helps bridge connections across cultures and sets students up for bright futures. Nuuanu fire claims life 'The Honolulu International Esports Tournament is an exciting opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of our local students while strengthening global connections through gaming and technology,' Blangiardi said. 'Esports is more than just competition–it's a pathway to careers in tech, digital media and innovation. We are proud to welcome these elite gamers from South Korea and the University of Utah, and we look forward to the positive impact this partnership will have on our youth, our schools and our city's future.' The Honolulu International Esports Tournament will take place on March 29 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Farrington High School's computer lab and library. The tournament will also be streamed live on KHII and Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii to launch digitized Agriculture Declaration Form
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. 1 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. 2 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. The digitization of Hawaii's Plants and Animals Declaration Form is set to be launched in March under the Akamai Arrival pilot program, state leaders announced Monday. The initiative, authorized under Act 196 during the previous legislative session, represents a significant step toward modernizing the state's biosecurity efforts by improving form completion rates and enhancing protections against invasive species. The pilot program will run from Saturday through May 31, concentrating exclusively on ensuring compliance with the new digital technology. While the state intends to add tourism-related checks into the digital process in the future, the current initiative will primarily enhance the review of travelers' agricultural declarations. Beginning Saturday, the pilot program, overseen by the state Department of Agriculture, will be implemented on select domestic flights in collaboration with major airlines including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Participating airlines will integrate the digital form into their arrival processes, allowing passengers to submit their required agricultural declarations more efficiently before landing in Hawaii. 'It is a great relief to see this innovation. To have it be done electronically is going to be very positive. It's going to be helpful for our state, but most importantly, it's our biosecurity weapon, ' Gov. Josh Green said. 'We're taking this important step today to begin to modernize how we protect Hawaii and launch this Akamai Arrival pilot program.' Green emphasized that the initiative is not only focused on safeguarding agricultural security, but also aims to protect the overall ecosystem, which contributes to the health of local communities and beyond. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The collaborative effort among Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, legislators, airline partners and stakeholders to modernize state processes aims to safeguard Hawaii's natural heritage. 'This is what government should be doing—utilizing technology to improve our state processes and better serve the public. Every one of us, whether coming home or traveling to Hawai 'i, is very familiar with filling out the paper agriculture form. By digitizing this form, we're making compliance easier for travelers while using technology to protect what makes Hawai 'i so special, ' Luke said. Airlines participating in the pilot have discretion over flight selection and implementation methods. The 'Akamai Arrival ' website will serve as a central hub for passengers, providing access to the digital form, flight information and an FAQ page to assist travelers. 'U.S. airlines play a critical role in connecting travelers to Hawai 'i, and the transition from paper to digital agriculture declaration forms is a significant step toward modernizing the travel experience, ' Sean Williams, Airlines for America vice president of state and local government affairs, said in a statement. 'We're proud to support the 'Akamai Arrival' program, making the arrival process more seamless and efficient for travelers.' Travelers should be aware that all arrivals from the mainland to Hawaii are required by state law to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form. Since its implementation in 1973, this form has been a critical tool in preventing the introduction of invasive species that threaten Hawaii's unique ecosystem. Failing to complete the form accurately or defacing it can result in serious consequences, as people who provide false information or neglect to declare prohibited or restricted items—including plants, animals and certain food products—face severe penalties. Violations could result in a misdemeanor charge with fines of up to $25, 000 and /or up to one year in prison. Furthermore, intentionally smuggling prohibited items, such as snakes or other invasive species, could escalate to a Class C felony, carrying a maximum penalty of $200, 000 and /or up to five years in prison. 'We are saying aloha to a 79-year-old process, ' said state Sen. Glenn Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs. 'The AG form was introduced to the state of Hawaii in 1946. We've been addicted to the paper for all of that time. Ridiculous. … I engaged the Department of Agriculture to figure out how we can digitize this paper AG form. To be honest, they were very reluctant for a number of years, and they told me to force them to do it. So I said, 'All right, I'm gonna change the law.'' According to Wakai, Hawaii boasts the best tourism data in the nation, largely due to its long-standing requirement for travelers to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form. Since the introduction of tourism-related information in the 1950s, the form has provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing efforts. While the current pilot program focuses on agricultural compliance, Wakai assured that the tourism aspect will not be overlooked ; it will soon be integrated into the digital format, ensuring that essential data continues to be collected. Monthly progress updates will be shared with participating airlines, and data collected will help determine potential expansions of the program in the future. Travelers are encouraged to consult their airline carriers for specific details about how to complete the digital form, which might involve options for pre-arrival completion, including check-in reminders or in-flight Wi-Fi access.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Preschool applications for financial assistance are now being accepted
Hawaii families seeking financial assistance for preschool tuition can now apply for the state-funded Preschool Open Doors program, which supports working families by ensuring their children have access to early education. The state Department of Human Services is accepting applications through April 30 for the 2025-2026 school year. The program provides tuition subsidies for eligible 3-and 4-year-olds. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who leads the state's Ready Keiki initiative aimed at expanding prekindergarten access, emphasized the program's importance amid ongoing uncertainties surrounding federal funding for early education. 'With uncertainty at the federal level around child care and early education funding, Preschool Open Doors reaffirms our state's commitment to supporting local families—ensuring our keiki can access the opportunities they need to thrive, ' Luke said. 'For many families, the cost of child care and preschool can be as high as rent. This subsidy provides meaningful relief, making quality early education more accessible for Hawai 'i's working families.' To qualify, children must have birth dates between Aug. 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, meaning they would enter kindergarten in the 2026-2027 or 2027-2028 school year. The program prioritizes at-risk or underserved children and considers household income when determining eligibility. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. For a household of two, the monthly income limit is $6, 080, or $72, 960 annually ; for a household of four, the monthly income limit is $9, 245, or $110, 940 annually. Families that meet eligibility criteria can choose from 382 state-licensed preschools, with maximum subsidy amounts set at $1, 500 per month for accredited schools and $1, 200 for nonaccredited ones. DHS Director Ryan Yamane highlighted the program's growing demand, noting that over 5, 000 applications were received in 2024 due to expanded eligibility and increased income thresholds. 'The extended application window for the Preschool Open Doors program, expanded eligibility to include 3-year-old children, and increased income limits led to a significant increase in applications, ' Yamane said. 'Every child deserves a strong start, and the high level of interest in the program reflects how important these opportunities are for families across the state.' Currently, Preschool Open Doors serves more than 2, 300 children statewide and helps young learners develop essential skills to prepare for school and long-term success. With another strong response expected this year, DHS urges families to apply early. DHS expects a high number of applications again this year and urges families to apply before the deadline to secure preschool assistance for their children. Families can submit applications online at childcaresubsidy or request a form through People Attentive to Children, the program's contractor, at or by calling 808-791-2130. Applications must be received by 4 :30 p.m. April 30. Families also have the option to submit their applications by mail, fax or email to PATCH's Honolulu office. The organization can assist families in finding a suitable preschool and provide guidance throughout the application process.
