Enrollment Projections Prompt Building Plans at Maui Waena

Maui Waena, file photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The state Department of Education is proposing the construction of a new two-story, eight-classroom building at Maui Waena Intermediate School.

The project is designed to meet the need of the largest middle school on the island, and address an anticipated increase in enrollment.

The school’s enrollment was 1,084 students in 2011-2012, which already surpasses the designed enrollment capacity of 1,008 students.

According to a Draft Environmental Assessment, “existing facilities are inadequate” to meet the current needs of the school, and have the potential to result in overcrowded classrooms and limited class offerings.

Education officials anticipate a “significant increase” in future enrollment because of ongoing construction of subdivisions in the surrounding Maui Lani development in Central Maui.

In addition to more than 20,000 square feet of classroom space, the project also calls for infrastructure improvements, the displacement of existing play courts (which will be relocated to an open lawn area), and the addition of a small parking lot.