300 educators honored with Lahaina HERO Awards; $20M Lahaina workforce housing rental complex announced

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., and the Hawai‘i State Department of Education presented a $723,500 check for the Lahaina HERO Awards, an initiative aimed at recognizing the extraordinary commitment of educators who have played a critical role in keeping Lahaina schools open following the devastating wildfires on Maui last year.

“I’m here today with a heart full of gratitude for what people have done and admiration for their ability to really stand up and fight for the keiki that were affected so profoundly,” said Green during a press conference Friday morning at Lahainaluna High School. He called educators “pillars of strength” for families who went through and are going through so much.

HERO stands for Honoring Employees’ Resilience and Optimism. In the first round of the program 300 Lahaina teachers, staff members and administrators will receive a monetary award for their efforts in directly supporting Lahaina students when the schools reopened for the 2023-24 school year. Awards range from $2,500 for eligible full time salaried employees to around $1,000 for part time staff and casual employees.

The initiative was made possible through a donation from Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce, and his wife, Lynne, longtime Hawai‘i residents and philanthropists who were moved by the incredible challenges faced by these employees and the importance of maintaining educational continuity for Lahaina’s students.

Gov. Green said the funds being offered in the first round are “just to take the edge off a little bit.” He continued, “Of course that is never enough, but that will hopefully enable them to get through this bumpy spot, and then they’ll be able to do it again next year,” when a second round of awards is planned.

$20M Lahaina workforce housing project for displaced DOE employees

The governor also announced the Lahaina workforce housing project. It’s a $20 million initiative funded through state support Capital Improvement Project funds and the Major Disaster Fund.

According to the governor, one third of Lahaina Hawaiʻi DOE employees experienced housing displacement due to the wildfires. “So this should take down some of the pressure,” he said.

The 47 unit rental complex at Lahainaluna High School will be built by the Maui-based Dowling Company with the first units coming online in July and completion projected for November 2025.

“We’re going to prioritize displaced educators because that’s what the Superintendent said that we needed. This is really what we felt we should do. We’re going to start building them quickly. We’re going through a rapid process of permitting. I think that the principal intends to get out his hammer and do some of the work right alongside people. That’s how excited we are about this,” said Green.

Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi said, “The $20 million workforce housing project is a transformative investment that will address one of the greatest challenges our Lahaina workforce and educators face by providing affordable and stable housing, by ensuring that our teachers and staff can remain here, deeply rooted in the communities that we serve.”

HERO recipients grateful, hopeful for the future

Kaleka Kukahiko Manoha of Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary School was among the teachers that will benefit from the HERO awards. She has worked with Lahaina children for 22 years through programs like Summer Pals, and Kamaʻāina Kids A+, as well as 17 years at  Princess Nāhi’ena’ena Elementary, most recently as a curriculum coordinator.

“After the fires, one of the biggest challenges was finding a way to get students back to school. I was fortunate to be a part of creating and organizing a hub that brought together three schools—Lahaina Intermediate, King Kamehameha III, and Princess Nāhi’ena’ena. Together, we made it possible for students from Lahaina to return to classes led by familiar faces,” said Manoha.

“The loss of homes in our community continue to impose the ongoing challenge of fluctuating in student enrollment, with families scattered across the island and limited housing options in Lahaina, rebuilding our enrollment to pre-fire levels has been a difficult task,” she said.

Manoha is currently in the process of transitioning from a condo in Kāʻanapali to state interim housing at Ka Laʻi Ola in Lahaina. “This move brings a sense of normalcy, not just for me, but for my child as well. For my school community, I am eager to continue the work of supporting and empowering the youth of Lahaina,” she said

Fellow Lahaina HERO Award recipient, Darice Garcia is a teacher at King Kamehameha III Elementary School. She joined the staff three years ago after being laid off during COVID from the hotel industry. “I could have easily gone back to that, but God called me to serve the children and then in my new season of life. It was a very humbling experience to be entrusted with the lives of our future leaders and to partner with those who have also been called,” said Garcia.

When students at Kamehameha III were temporarily relocated to Princess Nāhi’ena’ena while their temporary campus was under construction, Garcia agreed to join the team there. “The biggest fear for everyone was what would happen if another fire started and their children were here on the hill. I remember every day thinking and figuring out how many kids I could fit in my truck, and what route of escape it would be. Although we never talked about it with each other, I know all of us at the schools thought about that every day,” said Garcia.

“What happened has definitely changed the way we plan, the way we live and the way we we don’t take each day for granted,” said Garcia. “The 2023-2024 school year was definitely a great push for all of the educators who needed to truly dig deep into who they were, and remember why we said yes to this calling. Now that we are settled in our temporary school, I see more and more students and families coming back although we have a long way to go, there is definitely a sense of peace and joy,” she said.

According to Garcia, some days are still really hard for a lot of staff and kids. “For myself, I purposely take a breath… I look forward to moving physically back to Lahaina and no longer doing the daily one hour commute from Waiehu and another 1 to 2 hours after school back to Waiehu. I see the progress in Lahaina every day. As I drive in, and I can’t wait for the day when our home starts the process of being rebuilt and we can finally be home to my school community.”