Schools say facilitators vital link
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Parent-Community Networking Center has become so important to Hawai'i's public schools that principals were devastated when money to pay for its operation was slashed this school year.
The center's parent facilitators are the link between parents and the school, and the school and the community. They make sure volunteers are in the classrooms helping teachers or organizing events such as open houses, performances, excursions and fairs.
"It's like the heart of the school," said Donna Estomago, principal at Lanikai Elementary School, which as a charter school paid for its PCNC facilitator. "It's the community engaged with the school. I don't know what we would do without ours."
This year, PCNC facilitators were eliminated and hours slashed as part of a mandatory budget restriction. Eighty-six schools received no money for their PCNC positions, and 168 are getting enough to pay for only 10 to 14 hours a week instead of the 17 hours that schools say they need.
Gov. Linda Lingle this week freed up $2.3 million allocated to finance the positions, but it is unclear how and when the money will be distributed and whether the positions will be restored at all schools and in all districts.
Meanwhile, educators worry about the implications for teachers, students and parents.
"The parent facilitator is usually the first one there when a crisis arises," said Vivian Ing, who was instrumental in the creation of the program in 1986.
Ing is the state office resource teacher with the Family Support Office that runs several programs, including PCNC.
PCNC duties include figuring out the needs of parents and teachers and finding ways to fulfill them through workshops, activities and outside resources, said Ing.
The facilitator will get school supplies for a crying child who refuses to go to class because he has none, she said. They'll set up a food center or a parent support group, and after a fire or other tragic event, a facilitator will gather people to support the family, Ing said.
Facilitators are important because "they're in touch with the neighborhood and they're in touch with the families," Ing said.
Cutting the program definitely affects parents and children, said June Kawamura, PCNC coordinator for the DOE's Honolulu District schools, which lost 22 positions.
"Brand-new parents to the school or young parents with kindergartners may not feel welcomed because a lot of times it's the facilitator who makes the connection with the parents," Kawamura said.
The facilitator is the person parents go to for answers or to learn how to get involved, she said.
She added that the schools could see a drop in volunteers without someone to organize them. That can be a big job. Volunteers logged 9,000 hours at Kapunahala Elementary School in Kane'ohe last year.
Kapunahala saw one of its two parent-facilitator positions eliminated because of the budget restriction. The school came up with the money to retain the scrapped position, but now both are being paid for fewer hours, said Jean Fong, a parent facilitator.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
