We the undersigned, petition the Hawaii Department of Education and Pā`ia School to cease a lottery-style admission process for incoming Kindergarden children to the Kula Kaiapuni program. Pā`ia School serves K-5th grade and is the only school on the Central/East side of Maui that children desiring a kaiapuni education can attend. We demand that the principal stop the action of the lottery and admit ALL children requiring and requesting Hawaiian language immersion education. Hawaiian language education is a RIGHT, not a privilege, as Hawaiian is an official language of the state of Hawai`i.
Some things that need to be remembered:
1) The present day Department of Education descends from the Hawaiian Kingdom period and was originally a Hawaiian language school system.
2) Hawaiian is still considered an endangered language as we do not yet have the critical mass of speakers needed to sustain a language AND Hawaiian IS an official language of the state.
3) Hawaiian language education is a right not a “special program.”
Our question is this: Would you hold a lottery if you had 53 students applying for English
kindergarten?
Dear Governor Abercrombie, Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui, BOE Chairman Don Horner, DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, Maui Complex Area Superintendent Alvin Shima and Pā`ia School Principal Sue Alivado,
We ask you to stop the proposed lottery for admission into the kaiapuni kindergarden at Pā`ia School.
We have tried to speak with the principal about her decision to hold a lottery and determine which keiki will be allowed to enter kindergarden in the kaiapuni at Pā`ia School. All requests have been met with silence or with the firm statement that it would continue as planned. We demand an immediate cessation of this action and implore you all to look further into this situation and the issues arising due to it.
We remind you all that `ōlelo Hawai`i IS an official state language and as such, MUST be provided for EQUALLY within our state school system. This principalʻs continued actions and the inability of those contacted to make any effort to remedy this situation, reveal quite clearly that education in the Hawaiian language isnʻt seen as valid enough to warrant further inquiry. We hope this is not the case. We hope the showing of people upset and outraged with this action (as evidenced by these numerous signatures received in the matter of 4 days!!!) will finally move you to do something about it.
You CAN cease this action and we CAN come together and find a solution. We implore you to compel Principal Alivado to cease and desist in continuing along this path.
Mahalo nui for your attention to this matter and we hope for a swift and fair resolution to this issue.
