#Keith Hayashi

The Hawaiʻi State Board of Education has unanimously approved appointments of Leila Maeda-Kobayashi as complex area superintendent overseeing schools in the Kapaʻa-Kauaʻi-Waimea Complex Area and Kasie Kaleohano as complex area superintendent overseeing schools in the Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area. Maeda-Kobayashi has served since March as the deputy complex area superintendent of the Kapaʻa-Kauaʻi-Waimea Complex Area. Her experience within the […]

The state Department of Education held a blessing and groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning for a $20 million rental housing development for educators and school staff in Lahaina. The project addresses a critical workforce housing shortage and supports efforts to stabilize and retain staff at West Maui schools following the August 2023 wildfires.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education is rolling out its 2025–26 student transportation plans early to help families plan ahead amid ongoing driver shortages that have affected school bus routes statewide.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education announced that it has initiated a discussion on its approach to review public school campuses for potential consolidation in light of a steady decrease in overall enrollment over the past decade.

The House Committee on Human Services & Homelessness advanced a bill Thursday to prohibit homeless encampments near schools.

Six Hawai‘i public school educators received the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest award that a science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States, President Joe Biden announced this week.

A 47-unit, $20 million educational workforce housing project is set to open with its first units available in July 2025. Full completion is expected by spring 2026. Students, staff members and administrators at the four public West Maui schools are encouraged by the news.

Maui students were among the best in the state in concocting ideas to use artificial intelligence to address real-world issues that youths face today.

Civic engagement in Lahaina remained strong Tuesday evening, with about 100 community members and staff gathering to discuss potential sites for King Kamehameha III Elementary School’s permanent location.

Kalani High School’s science and Career and Technical Education teacher Bryan Silver has been honored as the 2025 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year, the state Department of Education announced. Also honored were Maui finalists Jessie O’Neill-Prest of Kīhei Elementary School and Jaime “Kumu Eva” Palakiko of Lahainaluna High School.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education on Friday announced new standards for produce suppliers to ensure students receive consistently high-quality and safe meals.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., today announced the Lahaina HERO Awards, a new initiative aimed at recognizing the extraordinary resilience and dedication of Department of Education (DOE) employees who have played a critical role in keeping Lahaina schools open following the devastating wildfires on Maui last year. HERO stands for Honoring Employees’ Resilience and Optimism in serving Lahaina students in spite of the challenges presented by the wildfires.

More than a dozen Maui teachers flew to Oʻahu on Thursday to ask for more support following devastating wildfires last August. Designated as a hard-to-staff location for years, West Maui is experiencing a critical teacher shortage as many educators are still piecing together their lives, or were forced to leave the area entirely, according to the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Educators on Maui are asking for increased shortage differentials for West Maui teachers, the creation of a fire relief leave bank, and more robust mental health support for all who were impacted, including displaced students. 

US Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) announced the official release of the new Patsy T. Mink quarter, which is part of the US Mint’s American Women Quarters Program for 2024.

The dedication and blessing of the temporary campus for Kamehameha III Elementary School, makai of Kapalua Airport, was a milestone for the community of Lahaina on Monday as residents took another step in recovering from the August wildfires.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education is encouraging families to sign up for its summer learning programs.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education is proud to announce and celebrate two high schools — Mililani and Maui High — that have been recognized as the first-ever Hawaiʻi Schools of Democracy.  Maui High School will be recognized for their achievement at a school ceremony on Monday. 

The temporary campus project is expected to be completed by the end of February, when the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will take over to furnish and install telecommunication equipment.

Hawai‘i public schools saw an overall uptick in mathematics performance in the second full academic year following the pandemic, according to statewide assessment results the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education released today as part of its annual Strive HI Performance System report. In language arts and science, Hawai‘i scores held steady, maintaining gains from the year before.

Lahainaluna High School faculty and staff welcomed approximately 700 students back to their home campus on Monday for the first time in more than two months since the Maui wildfires.