PD Background Report Kamehameha Schools (PL-SPP-2023-037)

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2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools' mission is to "Lift our haumdna to lift the lahuil Empowering our haumdna to pursue their passions by delivering a world class education based on Christian and Hawaiian values."Along with the mission is the goal to try and provide the best education possible to the maximum number of children as possible. Kamehameha Schools (KS) believes that to provide the finest education, it is important that students understand the importance of being responsible stewards to our land,which is reinforced by participating in support of the communities the students live in. By working to remove barriers to learning, we help students deepen their connection to culture and `aina. Building upon the knowledge passed down by their ancestors, they are prepared to navigate challenges and opportunities in our modern society. In order to achieve meaningful change,we must coordinate and align with others to create a better Hawaii. 2.2 Background In keeping with their goal of being able to provide opportunities to as many children as possible, KS is proposing an education center to be located within the Honaunau region of the Island of Hawaii. The project intends to repurpose an existing church and classroom building previously used by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Church) into an early learning center and community facility to be used with discretion by KS. The project also includes the removal of an existing residential dwelling to provide additional parking spaces on the adjacent parcel to the south. The project site is bounded to the north, east,and south by developed agricultural/residential parcels owned by KS but are currently leased to various lessees and to the west by Mamalahoa Highway. The proposed facility includes four classrooms that would be able to accommodate approximately 90 pre-schoolers and additional spaces to accommodate programs for the community. Two classrooms will be used for KS programs,and two classrooms are intended to be used by a community sponsored entity. The entire facility, however, will be managed by KS, including operational hours, parking allocation, etc. The proposed learning center is anticipated to be completed and fully operational by 2025. Due to the proposed project location within an agriculturally zoned (A-5a) area, KS is applying for a County of Hawaii (County) Special Permit to establish the proposed early learning center and community facility, a use that does not fall within the approved uses of A-5a zone. 2.3 Purpose and Need There are currently only three locations with a total of 80 seats available for preschool and early learning opportunities for the keiki in the community. This leaves 68 percent of the children in the area without the chance of having an early learning opportunity before kindergarten. Data collected by KS between 2019 and 2022 indicates that less than 2