"Class size is a top issue," said Heintzman. "There would be more learning going on if classes were smaller ... You just don't have enough time in the day to spend individually like you should. A lot of kids have special needs. And there are learning styles - some kids can only learn one-on-one. You don't have time to deal with the gifted kids or the below-average kids that need your help. If you're in the trenches, you know."

Board of Education member Karen Knudsen, who grapples with issues such as classroom discipline, crimped budgets and curriculum challenges daily, agrees.

She cites examples throughout the district: 47 students and two teachers in one classroom, almost 40 in another. Classrooms of 30 or more are commonplace.

"That's unreal," said Knudsen, who is not up for re-election this year. "We worry about prison space. Excuse me."

The state mandates that kindergarten, first- and second-grade classes be maintained at a 20-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

"But from third grade on it's a free-for-all," said Dennis Ishikawa, president of Hokulani School's parent-teacher organization.

The key is convincing legislators "that education is a high priority and deserves the funds," said Ishikawa. "That's the wall we have to climb."

For board chairman Mitsugi Nakashima, who is running unopposed, "the issue is whether or not the state can provide the money to support the education of children. I think they are failing at that."

Nakashima called the system's $90 million annual capital improvement budget a "catch-up program" that goes almost exclusively toward building new classrooms to accommodate projected growth. He estimated it would take $2 billion a year to meet the need. Still, he cautioned against viewing money alone as a panacea.

"We know that kids can learn in temporary, makeshift facilities," he said. " ... You can have beautiful buildings but if you don't have quality teachers, you're up the creek ... In the eyes of most people, the quality of education is the most important issue."

Which, Heintzman and others contend, goes hand in hand with class size as well as training, recruiting and teacher pay.

"Parents and teachers will put up with makeshift classrooms in exchange for smaller class sizes," he said.

Parent Susan Labrenz said class size is but one ingredient in a mix that produces quality education and a partnership between families and teachers to optimize learning. Labrenz lamented that schools have been given sole jurisdiction over too many responsibilities once handled at home, including teaching social skills and promoting proper work habits.

Given the state's frugal fiscal environment, educators are seeking innovative solutions to classroom overcrowding. Year-around schools, which are gaining acceptance here, reduce class sizes by dispersing the student population throughout the year.

At Hokulani School, Principal Peter Chun uses one of two resource teachers as a third-grade classroom instructor to reduce the student-teacher ratio.

Meanwhile Heintzman, who has 29 fifth-graders in his Keaau School classroom, said he does what any teacher does under similar circumstances: the best he can.