HAWAI`I CHARTER SCHOOLS & PARENTS UPSET AT OHA PLAN TO GIVE $1.5 MILLION TO CNHA
HawaiiNewsNow - September 21, 2017
Every year, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs gives $1.5 million to Hawaiian charter schools. Halau Ku Mana, one of 17 Hawaiian focused charter gets about $50,000-$60,000 of the OHA money.
Recently, OHA awarded the contract to administer the funds to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement instead of another group called KALO.
An internal memo shows the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement received a score of 81.3 while Kanu O Ka Aina Learning Ohana (KALO) got 75.
Charter school supporters testified at the OHA board meeting.
I humbly request that you do not give the charter school funding to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement which is a political organization rather than an educational non-profit," said Healani Sonoda-Pale, parent at Halau Ku Mana.
"I'm worried that after the first year that those resources may decrease. I'm worried that CHNA will leverage the funds for purposes that aren't education related," said Keoni Bunag, principal at Halau Ku Mana.
The Council favors US federal recognition while many at Halau Ku Mana oppose it.
"I think at the core of the mistrust is the opposition to our position on federal recognition," said Michelle Kauhane, President and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
The new contract hasn't be finalized yet and the OHA board will take up this issue on its September 27th agenda.
