• Kilauea School cafeteria Kilauea School cafeteria The Kilauea community is getting its wish for a new cafeteria/auditorium for Kilauea School. The existing one has to be one of the tiniest ones found in a public school on Kaua‘i, and
• Kilauea School cafeteria
Kilauea School cafeteria
The Kilauea community is getting its wish for a new cafeteria/auditorium for Kilauea School.
The existing one has to be one of the tiniest ones found in a public school on Kaua‘i, and recalls an era of public education that ended prior to World War II.
A report on today’s front page tells the legislative funding tale behind the release of funds for at least part of this project.
Actions over the past few years include Gov. Linda Lingle was previously holding back design funds until construction funds were available, and heavy lobbying by Kaua‘i’s four legislators.
Now, following this somewhat political process, funding is apparently in place for construction of the dining area of a new caferteria/auditorium/hurricane shelter building, but not the funding for a full-sevice kitchen and other needed auxillary facilities.
Quite a logistical tale takes shape when one steps back from the process needed to bring the construction of the Kilauea School facility and looks at what human actions were needed to for this to happen. Basically, this long-needed project was brought to life through greasing the sticky, noisy wheel. If there hadn’t been lobbying for this new building it would still be in limbo.
What does this say about how our schools are funded and administered? Have other projects superceded this Kilauea school building in the past due to lobbying for other projects on other islands by more poweful legislators? Would this project have had more priority with a localized school board?
First, this project — like many other community-favored civic projects — is a political animal, one that the Democratic legislators and Republican governor hope bring them favor, on top of their perceived need for the community. Should school projects need to go through a political process to be built – no.
Second, yes this project would still be on the backburner with the funds going to another island without the specific support of our legislators. Should school projects be traded around through agreements made in the State Capitol in Honolulu, no.
Third, a localized school board may likely have been on top of this project, rather than having layers of administration between support for the project and those who run the school system. More layers, more time to implement.
Overall, what it took to fund this project is an indictment of how government is run in Hawai‘i. It shouldn’t take a show of legislative force to fund a project that is clearly a priority.
