Woodson Confirms Start to Maui Waena Classroom Expansion

Justin Woodson. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Maui Waena Intermediate School will soon break ground on a long awaited $5.1 million classroom expansion project, according to an announcement today from state Representative Justin Woodson of Maui.

“I am very pleased to report that Raymond L’Heureux, Department of Education assistant superintendent for school facilities and support services, recently confirmed that the Maui Waena Eight Classroom Expansion Project will now be moving forward,” said Representative Woodson in a statement.

The additional classrooms are aimed at meeting increasing enrollment needs and space for students in the Kahului area.

Maui Waena, file photo by Wendy Osher.

In October, the Department of Education identified Maui Waena Intermediate as the middle school with the fourth largest enrollment in the state, reporting a total of 1,095 students.

According to an environmental assessment filed for the project, that enrollment is anticipated to “increase significantly” due to ongoing construction of subdivisions in the surrounding Maui Lani area.

Plans for the expansion were originally presented in 2007; however, Woodson said, the project encountered a number of setbacks through the years.

A final environmental impact statement was filed for the project in June of 2013, calling for the construction of a two-story, 34-foot tall building, that includes three classrooms each for science and general education, one choral room, and one computer resource center.

“Ground breaking for this project should begin very shortly but, given the project’s history, I will continue to closely monitor the process until ground is actually broken. In the meantime, let me assure the community that the funds for this project has been encumbered and will not lapse,” he said.

Maui Waena Intermediate School is described as the largest middle school on the island. The intermediate facility is the district middle school for students advancing out of Kahului, Lihikai, and Pōmaikaʻi Elementary Schools. It also serves as a feeder campus for Maui High School in Kahului.