Monday message 03.18.2024

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we commence the annual Spring Break. It is hard to imagine that we have completed the first three quarters of the 2023-2024 school year and will be heading into the homestretch when we return to campus on Monday, March 25th.

The wise philosopher and writer George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” These clever words are important for lifelong learners and give us an opportunity to examine the short history of our unique charter school.

Four years ago to the month (March, 2020) the Hawai’i Charter Commission came to Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and issued an official Notice of Concern that unless drastic changes were implemented the school would be closed at the conclusion of the school year. This troubling news brought about a whirlwind of immediate modifications that were enacted by a dedicated group of people who served on the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Board of Directors. Chairperson Indy and Treasurer Ben stepped forward and brought about the necessary changes at both the governance and operational levels and kept the school open so we could start the 2020-2021 school year together. The school stabilized at a population of 92 learners, the budget was balanced, and we headed boldly into the future.

Fast-forward four years to where Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School sits today. We will reach our maximum capacity of 250 learners as allowed under our Charter Contract 4.0, and our waiting list for new enrollments (over 100 and growing) now exceeds our entire school population four years ago (92 students). We have been recognized as the fastest improving public school in Hawai’i over the last three years, have added our Middle School up to Grade Eight next year, and achieved healthy financial status with strong stability of accumulated reserves.

None of this happy success story would have been possible without an engaged plus supportive learning community. The visionary Board of Directors took bold steps to save the school and empower it to grow to its new height. The parents stayed true and trusted a process of continuous improvement that is still in place today. The dedicated staff fully embraced all the unique facts of our charter school, such as project-based learning, socio-emotional learning, Hawai’ian cultural traditions, and the arts. Most importantly, the learners contributed deeply to the culture of our school and improved significantly academically, as verified by the outstanding results on the state of Hawai’i SBAC assessments required yearly.

Mahalo nui kakou to all in our learning community who contributed in great collaboration to create the wonderful success story of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. Let’s all continue to work together to push for continued improvement and move our school from the state of Hawai’i notoriety to national prominence, as our learners deserve the best FREE public education we can provide.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i