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Add your commentKualapu`u School Appealing State Decision
Superintendent to make decision on results of Adequate Yearly Progress testing by end of August.
Kualapu`u School principal Lydia Trinidad is appealing Department of Education (DOE) results that say the school’s keiki did not met Adequate Yearly Progress targets as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Earlier this month, the DOE posted the results on its website, which showed that while two Molokai schools – Maunaloa Elementary and Kilohana Elementary – are in good standing, four other schools on the island – Kualapu`u Elementary, Kaunakakai Elementary, Molokai Middle and Molokai High – are in line to receive state intervention.
Fourteen other schools in Maui County were also determined to require restructuring.
Although many schools, including Kualapu`u, showed progress this year, it was not enough to put them in good standing, and Trinidad is asking that DOE staff review how “disadvantaged” students were counted at the school.
About 74 students are on free- or reduced-price meals, according to the school, but were not placed into the disadvantaged category at some point during the process.
Trinidad told Maui News there was a possibility that a step was missed, and that she was “glad there’s an appeal process.”
Four other schools in the county are also appealing the results, which can be found at http://doe.k12.hi.us/. They are Hana High and Elementary School, Lahaina Intermediate School, Kahului Elementary School, and Kamalii Elementary School in Kihei.
State Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto will make a final decision on the appeals later this month based on a recommendation from her staff.
Learning Through Lei
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“It is part of our hula training, as well as reaching out to the community and visitors to help in experiencing and educating them in the many arts of our culture,” she added.
The workshop was conducted by cultural practitioner Scarlett Ritte, who showed her students how to Hili (to braid) kukui leaves, and to make a wili lei po’o (head lei) with materials that can be found in nature.
Human Remains Found at One Ali`i
Bones reinterred in ground on advice of archeologists.
Humans remains discovered by construction workers at One Ali`i Park have been returned to where they were found following intervention by the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD).
Several fragments of human bone fell out of the side wall of a trench while a septic tank system was being installed by county workers at the end of July.
Consulting archeologists with the Honolulu-based Scientific Consultant Services notified the SHPD of the situation at the beginning of August, and were advised to elevate the remains to an area in the wall as close as possible to where the remains were found and out of any harmful area before covering up.
A Hawaiian cultural monitor was present during all ground-disturbing activity.
One week later, eight other small bones were found and determined to be animal bones, most likely from a cat. That day both the on-site archaeologist and cultural monitor spent the morning sifting through the 'fill dirt' to ensure no other bones were present.
In accordance with SHPD policy, Malia Akutagawa, and Mikiala Pescaia of the Molokai burial council were consulted during the process.
A protest was held at One Ali`i Park on Aug. 13 by Molokai residents who demanded the proper treatment of the remains.
Since then, both the human and cat remains have been “safely reinterred within the project area,” according to Department of Land and Natural Resources information specialist Deborah Ward.
The Burial Sites Program of the SHPD deals with the management of burial sites over 50 years old, and about 98 percent of those are related to Hawaiian skeletal remains, according to the program’s website.
Anti-Aspartame Activists Don’t Take No for an Answer
Hawaii Chapter of Mission Possible: A Small Group with Big Plans
By Catherine Cluett
A group of activists taking steps to ban aspartame, an artificial sweeter, from food, beverages and pharmaceuticals in Hawaii saw increased turnout at their meeting Saturday night. Last year they introduced the issue as a bill to state legislature, but made it only as far as the resolution stage before it was dismissed. This year, the group plans to reintroduce bill to the state House and Senate, hoping to build more support along the way, and planning for better success the second time around.
The group, based here on Molokai, forms the Hawaii chapter of Mission Possible, an international health organization dedicated to raising awareness about and eradicating the use of aspartame. The group hopes to make the anti-aspartame movement important enough to Hawaiians to become an integral part of candidates’ platforms in the upcoming elections.
The FDA under Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes approved aspartame as a food additive in the United States in 1981. But Jade Brujhell, leader of the Mission Impossible Hawaiian chapter, is quick to point out that aspartame’s clean bill of approval might not have been so clean. Hayes was a close friend of Donald Rumsfeld, former United States Secretary of Defense and CEO of G.D. Searle, aspartame’s manufacturer.
Brujhell says he has reason to believe that the FDA has ulterior motives in approving aspartame as a non-toxic food additive. “There is extensive scientific research conducted by medical experts specializing in fields such as toxicology and neurology showing undeniable evidence that aspartame is a neurotoxin and causes serious harm,” says Brujhell. He suggests possible links between aspartame and biological weapons.
“They feed us poisons in our food, then you have to go to the hospital to fix it. But the medicines they give you contain the same poisons,” explains Mission Possible member John Wordin. Aspartame is found in the seizure medication Dilantin and other medications often used to treat diseases linked to aspartame.
In May 2008, the group released a Citizens’ Declared Emergency Public Health Crisis/Alert informing fellow citizens of the dangers of aspartame. The alert describes the diseases and symptoms linked to aspartame’s use, and also includes an Adverse Reaction Report Form for consumer documentation, and a petition to be signed and submitted to the Attorney General of the State of Hawaii for “eliminating aspartame from the food, beverage and pharmaceutical products in the State of Hawaii.” The crisis alert has also been submitted to Hawaii State legislators and the state Department of Health.
The Mission Possible Hawaii chapter is planning a public meeting on September 8 for those interested in the issue.
Community Art Project Completed at Kualapu’u School
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Mosaic wall is the newest addition to school’s art installations.
From left to right, Kualapu’u School art teacher Koki Foster and students Nainoa Kahale, 3rd grade, Kaimana Kahale, 4th grade, and Tabby Fernandez, 3rd grade, admire their newest art project.
By Catherine Cluett
Art flourishes at Kualapu’u School as children proudly show off their newest project, a mosaic wall completed earlier last week. Students, parents, teachers, and staff at the school collaborated to create the project.
“One thing I love about the installation is watching the children interact with the mural -- by touching the tiles and discussing with each other their favorite pieces,” says Kualapu`u art resource person Koki Foster.
Inspiration
Besides acting as resource, Foster is also the inspiration for the project. Begun about a year ago, she says the mural was created partially in the classrooms, and partially during “Family Art Nights,” where parents and keiki had the opportunity to engage in the creative process together.
The permanent installation consists of about 250 ceramic pieces, individually created and glazed, and joined together on the wall by grout. The wall doubles as the back of a bench, creating a piece of both beauty and utility for all to enjoy.
Ninety tiles were made by teachers and staff at Kualapu'u, and `ohana and students made 160 tiles. The theme of the mural was left open, and artists were given the freedom to create whatever they wanted with the materials. The result is a colorful medley of themes and images, drawn both from reality and the imaginations of its creators.
The mural is one of several permanent, large-scale projects around Kualapu’u. The most recent work in progress is a painted mural entitled “Birds of the Forest,” which involves for the keiki both research of bird species and their artistic portrayal on a building wall.
Generous Benefactors
The project was made possible by a donation of $1,500 by Randy Antonio. The money was used to purchase clay and glaze for the tiles. In addition, each teacher received $150 of clay for students to use in the classroom throughout the year.
Kualapu’u School recently received a $6,000 grant from the Hawaii State Foundation of Arts and Culture for Foster’s latest collaborative community art project. Keep an eye out for “Math Discovery Islands” – benches around the school soon to be remodeled into creative unions of math, art, and utility.
An Apology for Kalaupapa Residents
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Senator visits the peninsula to deliver an apology for harsh treatment on behalf of the state.
By Zalina Alvi
For all those who were exiled to Kalaupapa, and all the friends and `ohana who suffered alongside them, an apology that is long overdue has come at last.
Last Tuesday marked a historic moment when Senator J. Kalani English visited former patients and residents of Kalaupapa, and offered an official apology on behalf of the State of Hawaii to “the people of Kalaupapa and their families for any harsh restrictions that caused them undue pain as the result of government policies surrounding leprosy.”
The apology comes more than 140 years after the first patients of Hansen’s Disease (also known as leprosy) were forcibly exiled to the peninsula.
A Long Overdue Apology
“I’ve come to say thank you, to acknowledge your sacrifices, your sufferings, and the harsh treatment the government may have done to you in the past,” said English during the monthly meeting.
“I’ve also come to offer the apology of the State of Hawaii, and to offer our sincerest apologies to all of you patients here for that harsh treatment. And the entire state is with me today as I say this,” he said.
The apology comes in the form of Senate Concurrent Resolution 208, which was officially adopted on Apr. 11, 2008.
“I’m sorry I’ve come a little bit late; we lost three (patients) since the resolution was passed,” said English. “Let’s think for a moment of all those who passed before us, because this is for them too.”
Paul Harada, a former patient and community leader who was vocal in getting an apology resolution, was one of those people who would have liked to see this day. He died on Jan. 4, 2008 at the age of 81.
Although the apology was created with the help of many former patients and supporters, English took a moment to highlight the efforts of committee clerk Sharon Lum Ho, who helped write the apology.
“It was her words that became the resolution,” said English.
The apology also recognized that although a cure was found for Hansen’s Disease in 1946, the government did not end the isolation laws until 1969.
“It was government being afraid, and people not understanding that the cure was there,” the senator said. “And for that, for the actions of past governments, let me say, I’m very sorry.”
Near the end of the meeting, the senator read the resolution aloud from beginning to end.
Certified copies of the apology were also promised to all the residents of Kalaupapa, Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, the Governor, the Director of Health, and the Superintendent of Kalaupapa National Historical Park.
Future Challenges
Following his presentation of the apology, English asked for help from the community in facing new obstacles, including the oncoming pressures of increasing tourism as a result of Father Damien’s imminent canonization as a saint.
“We want you to be the ones to set the direction for this,” said Senator English.
He went on to promise all the resources needed to cope with the eventual onslaught of visitors, and encouraged the community to decide how they want to proceed during future meetings.
As the agenda moved on to a presentation on the dangers of remaining military ordinance in the area, former patient Makia Malo said he was “outraged” at the situation and treatment of Kalaupapa residents, past and present.
“There should be more than an apology coming to the people of Kalaupapa, and of Hawaii,” he said. “I don’t think you would like it in your neighborhood.”
The remainder of the town meeting was characterized by acknowledgements from the senator on the unreliable airport and phone service in the area.
While admitting there were serious problems, many that he had experienced firsthand, Senator English said the solutions must come from the private companies responsible for the services.
The following Wednesday, a meeting was held in Kalaupapa on fire management in coordinator with topside Molokai. The goal was to plan for the event that a major fire occurs on the peninsula.
Kalaupapa has been without firefighters since July 1 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that the presence of fire personnel at airports serving planes carrying less than 10 people would no longer be required.
The next town meeting will be held on Sept. 9 at 11:30 a.m. in McVeigh Hall.
Utility Rate Hikes Approved
By Jennifer Smith
In the midst of an economic downswing the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has taken the unprecedented step of approving temporary rate increases for two water utility service providers on Molokai. This is the first time the Commission has initiated the opening of a rate case for a utility provider.
The rate case was opened in response to an announcement by Molokai Ranch that it would abandon services to customers of its three regulated utilities on Aug. 31. The company claimed that its two water utilities, Molokai Public Utilities, Inc. (MPU) and Wai`ola o Molokai, Inc. (Wai`ola), and one wastewater utility, Mosco, Inc. had been operating in the red for years and therefore would cease services.
“Under these dire circumstances, the commission has no choice but to approve the temporary rate increases as a stop-gap measure,” said Carlito Caliboso, chairman of the PUC in a statement released Thursday. “We need to do what we can to require the utilities to keep operating, at least, temporarily, for the sake of the health and welfare of the people of West Molokai.”
The rate hikes will affect approximately 1,200 customers in areas of west and central Molokai, many of whom were also affected by the closure of Molokai Ranch in April. Customers will see inflated rates for the next six months, beginning Sept. 1.
“I’m appalled that the Governor would put this financial burden on the people,” said DeGray Vanderbilt, former chair of the Molokai Planning Commission.
PUC Explanation
PUC auditor Steve Iha came up with the numbers for the rate increases, which ended up significantly higher than the increases initially proposed by the commission in July.
Rates for Wai`ola customers will jump from $1.85 per 1,000 gallons to $5.15 per 1,000 gallons, potentially providing an additional $156,710 of annual revenue over the next year.
MPU user rates will increase from $3.18 per 1,000 gallons to $6.04 per 1,000 gallons, which is expected to yield an additional $398,687.
The rates for Mosco users will not increase as the PUC review deemed the action unnecessary because the company failed to show a loss.
“We are still gathering information from the utilities and the ranch,” said Kaiulani Kidani Shinsato, Commission Council. As of last Friday the Ranch had not responded to the PUC decision, but she said, “We think it’s going to work.”
Shinsato said the decision is only a temporary measure, and that the commission is hoping that another provider will step in to take over the system.
“I would like to see the state hold Molokai Ranch responsible to this issue and all costs before a transfer is made,” said Walter Ritte, Homestead farmer during last week’s Governor’s Molokai Advisory Committee meeting.
He asked the council to provide the Governor with two recommendations, which included auditing all of the Ranch’s systems, and the Governor beginning eminent domain procedures to cover costs.
The order states all three utilities are required to provide monthly financial reports and bi-weekly status reports. At the end of the six months, if another service provider is not found, MPU and Wai`ola must file applications for rate increases to allow for the determination of final rates.
If the ranch chooses to defy the order, the PUC has the authority to fine the company $25,000 per day. “We do have pretty broad authority,” said Shinsato.
Questioning the PUC
“It may appear they are being soft on the rate case issue,” but the commission has to provide adequate rate relief to the utility companies in order to compel them to continue providing services, said Carl Freedman, Haiku Design & Analysis consultant and expert witness for PUC rate cases. He said the strongest course of action for the commission at this point is to give the utilities exactly what they want.
If the companies continue to refuse services, then the PUC has taken away the company’s claim to financial hardships, he said.
Vanderbilt was quick to disagree. “The PUC didn’t have the gumption to challenge MPL’s claims of having no money.”
“The three PUC commissioners, all appointed by Governor Linda Lingle, showed little backbone and totally wimped out when they approved the massive rate hike MPL demanded,” he said.
County Takes Action
The county has been quick to step up and assure residents that those who are unable to bear the brunt of additional financial obligations will not be left without services.
“I’m confident that we will be able to come up with a program that can provide temporary relief,” said Mayor Charmaine Tavares.
Tavares said county staff on Maui and Molokai are busy trying to come up with a plan of how to provide assistance to those who will not be able to make the payments for these “harsh increases.” The Department of Housing and Human Concerns will determine the qualifications for supplemental assistance.
Funds are expected to come from a combination of federal, state, and county sources.
DOH Orders
The county is also busy working on fulfilling a Department of Health (DOH) order to prepare an emergency response plan if the Ranch utilities do choose to discontinue services. In the event of a walk out, Tavares said the county would treat the situation as a natural disaster.
The plan is due to the state Civil Defense on Aug. 25.
Once the emergency plan is submitted, Tavares said the county will be on standby, offering any technical assistance to the state that may be required to evaluate the system. She said they have expertise in the way of engineers, lavatory technicians, and operators that the state lacks.
“I would like to assure the Molokai people that they are not forgotten,” said Tavares. The county is aware of the issues looming over the entire community, she said, and “it is going to take all of us to get through this period.”
Orders to the Ranch
On Thursday, the Ranch, also known as Molokai Properties Limited, received an order from the DOH ordering the company to continue providing services for at least 90 days.
“It remains to be seen whether the company will obey or defy the state’s orders,” said Tavares in a statement. “We hope that the company, including its larger and wealthier parent company in Hong Kong, will do what’s right and comply so that water and sewer services to over a thousand people on Molokai will continue without interruption.”
“Should the company refuse to obey the orders, we anticipate that the state will enforce them vigorously on behalf of its citizens.”
Program Connects Hawaiians with Technology
`Ohana encouraged to use student-awarded laptops.
By Jennifer Smith
Maui Community College (MCC) students are taking a step into the technology age after receiving laptops from Project OHANA. About 100 laptops will be distributed in rural communities in Maui County, and nearly 60 will be placed in the homes of students on Molokai.
The first set of laptops was distributed during a ceremony held last week Tuesday at the Molokai Education Center (MEC). MCC Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto and Special Projects Coordinator Janet Six attended the event hosted by MEC representatives Donna Haytko-Paoa and Kelley Dudoit.
“We are very interested in Molokai’s future,” said Sakamoto before beginning a short presentation on the rapid growth of technology. He said it was particularly important for MCC to find a way to bring the technology to the students because “we are all part of this cyber age.”
“From Molokai, genius can be uncovered-that’s what we are all about-uncovering it.”
Through Project OHANA, students are allotted an Apple laptop to take home and use for one year. Family members in the home are also encouraged to use the computer, and in return are asked to answer periodic surveys about their use.
“We want to build a digital `ohana,” said Sakamoto, explaining he has big hopes for the future.
The initial grant is for $384,000 and provided the computers and staff time for nearly 100 MCC students to participate in Project OHANA., Sakamoto said with positive feedback from participants and noticeable program results, this will hopefully be the first step in many to upgrading distance-learning for the college’s many campuses.
Six said the program is particularly exciting because students will no longer have to choose between family and schooling.
The first stages of Project OHANA began nearly four years ago when the USDA Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine (RUS DS&T) grant was written by Six. The grant entitled, Project OHANA (Online Health and Academic Network Access), will continue as long as the computers are still working.
In order to qualify for a laptop, students must be of native Hawaiian ancestry, a UH-MCC student attending classes in Hana, Lanai, or Molokai with a minimum 2.5 GPA, attend an orientation on using the laptop, and fill out periodic surveys on personal and family usage.
For more information on the program call Kelley Dudoit at 553-4490 ext. 29.
`Aha Kiole Continues Discussions
Voting delayed, consensus one step closer.By Andres Madueno
While no voting took place at last Thursday’s `Aha Kiole meeting, the evening did provide a forum to discuss ways to settle disagreements and tensions throughout the community.
The `Aha Kiole Advisory Council was formed to represent local practitioners in Hawaii and to advise the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and related agencies in managing the state’s natural resources using ancient Hawaiian practices.
A series of nominations and voting must occur to elect members to the Molokai Pae Moku of the statewide advisory council. The first of these meetings was held last Thursday to elect representatives to the Pala`au Moku.
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