High-tech
school for
Maui urged

Some Valley Isle residents
say the public high school
would also be an incentive
to attract research firms

By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- Some Maui residents want to establish a public charter high school to advance training of students in high technology and serve as an incentive to attract research companies.

The school would be located on 100 acres of land, partially owned by Haleakala Ranch and the Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei. The school buildings would be developed privately and leased to the state.

Officials with the South Maui Learning Ohana, a nonprofit group, say the school with a capacity of 1,000 students would also serve the growing south Maui community as a full high school.

"This school is going to provide the same curriculum as any other school but with the maximum utilization of computer technology," said John L. Miller, an Ohana official.

Miller, a Kihei resident, said the state would contribute money for the high school's operation on a per-student basis.

He said the average cost per student at a Hawaii public school totals $5,200 a year, including administrative expenses.

South Maui students travel more than six miles each week day to attend Maui High School in Kahului. State Sen. Avery Chumbley, an Ohana board member, said a bill will be introduced at the 1999 state Legislature seeking authorization to develop the school as a pilot program.

Chumbley said companies thinking about relocating to Maui want assurance their employees' children will receive a good education and that there will be a steady supply of qualified local workers.

"I think it's a huge benefit to the R&T park," he said.

Supporters say leasing the school would allow the state to have a school in a couple of years without a heavy financial commitment and cost less than if it was to be developed by the state.

The school, operated by a nonprofit board, would also be able to integrate the technology at the park into its curriculum and give family-minded corporations more reason to relocate to Maui, supporters say.

Chumbley said it cost upward of $70 million to build the last Maui high school.

He said ideally, the private sector would be able to design and build the school for $8 million to $10 million less than the state and also take advantage of tax breaks available to businesses.

Brett Klyver, executive director at the park, said the school would have the opportunity to take advantage of high-technology facilities, including a video-conferencing center and one of the world's largest computers.

Klyver said the park will set aside land for the school if the state makes a commitment to develop a curriculum based on science and technology that is going to take students into the 21st century.

Klyver said high-technology companies are having difficulty finding qualified employees and youths on Maui need the training.

"We want to give these kids the opportunity to fill these jobs," Klyver said.

He said the high school students could obtain internships in a similar way as Maui Community College students working at the Maui High Performance Computing Center at the park.

Klyver said the high-technology firm 3Com has agreed to provide the network connection, including a link to the supercomputer and the Internet.

Ohana board Chairman Gennaro Zarro said the group hopes the school will be able to attract visiting professors and develop a course of study beyond the traditional high school.

Zarro said part of the curriculum may be developed through a partnership with corporations and the University of Hawaii.

Zarro, also a Kihei resident, said he has seven children, three of whom may be able to attend the high school if it is developed.