The efforts of more than 300 Lahaina educators have been recognized with a gift of over $723,000.
It’s a donation from Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce, and his wife, Lynne, longtime Hawai‘i residents and philanthropists, through the state Department of Education.
The awards acknowledge West Maui teachers' sacrifices for their students since last year’s wildfires.
In the first round of the Lahaina HERO (Honoring Employees’ Resilience and Optimism) Awards, salaried educators received $2500 each, while part-time teachers received $1,000. A second round of awards will open for the current school year.
Kaleka Manoha is an award recipient at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School.
“After the fires, one of the biggest challenges was finding a way to get students back to school,” she said. “I was fortunate to be a part of creating and organizing a hub that brought together three schools — Lahaina Intermediate, King Kamehameha III and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena. Together, we made it possible for students from Lahaina to return to classes led by familiar faces.”
Darice Garcia of King Kamehameha III Elementary commutes one to two hours each way to Lahaina from her temporary housing. She shared how the fire changed the way the Lahaina school community thinks.
“The biggest fear for everyone was what would happen if another fire started and their children were here on the hill,” she recalled. “I remember every day thinking and figuring out how many kids I could fit in my truck and what route of escape it would be. Although we never talked about it with each other, I know all of us at the schools thought about that every day.”
Gov. Josh Green acknowledged that the monetary value of the awards is “never enough” but hoped it would “take the edge off a little bit” for teachers who have given so much of their time and resources to strengthen their classrooms after the fires.
“When the fire hit, over 3,000 families were displaced, many of them were teachers,” Gov. Green said. “I'm here today with a heart full of gratitude for what people have done and admiration for the ability to stand up and fight for our keiki ... everyone that will benefit from the Lahaina HEROES award is a true hero.”
The state also announced a housing project that will offer 47 units near Lahainaluna High School. Priority will be given to displaced educators. The first units are anticipated to be available by July 2025, with full completion the following spring.
Of the 305 DOE employees serving the area’s schools, nearly one-third faced housing displacement because the wildfires.
“The $20 million workforce housing project is a transformative investment that will address one of the greatest challenges our Lahaina workforce and educators face,” said DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi. “By providing affordable and stable housing, we're ensuring that our teachers and staff can remain here, deeply rooted in the communities that they serve.”
Gov. Green said the housing construction will be expedited.
“We’re going to prioritize educators … and start building quickly through a rapid permitting process,” he said. “To the teachers and staff in Lahaina, your strength has inspired us.”
