A Wahiawā charter school will officially close in June after the Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission finalized a decision Thursday not to renew its contract.
After the Hawaiʻi Board of Education reversed a decision that would have closed the school in June 2023, Kamalani Academy was given a two-year contract to continue operations under specific conditions.
Each public charter school in Hawaiʻi is overseen by a school governing board that maintains a charter contract with the commission. That contract outlines the academic, organizational and financial expectations, and is renewed based on performance.
In a news release, the commission noted that Kamalani failed to meet three of four requirements outlined in the contract: material and substantial violations of charter contract terms, failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management, and failure to meet or make sufficient progress toward performance expectations.
The commission said Kamalani had several opportunities to appeal the decision made in January. Neither school leadership nor the governing board requested a hearing, citing the school’s financial challenges.
“The school has not paid rent for its campus since October [2024] and is facing the possibility of eviction,” Kamalani governing board chair Aumoana Kanakaole said during a previous commission meeting on Feb. 20.
Kamalani Academy serves approximately 115 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Its charter contract will officially end on June 30, allowing students to complete the current school year. Kamalani Academy will be the third charter school in Hawaiʻi to close.
How did we get here? Read past HPR coverage from 2023:
