Pre-Plus school eager to open
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The Navy has repaired and turned on the fire hydrant across the street from 'Aiea Elementary School, clearing the way for the operator of the long-awaited Pre-Plus preschool on the campus to open as soon as they are ready.
• Pre-Plus preschool education is available to families of all income levels, but preference is given to 4-year-olds whose families are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty index, or $18,100 for a family of four. • For information on applying for the Head Start program at 'Aiea Elementary School, which is expected to begin in July, call 521-4531.
Teachers are being hired, student applications are being accepted, and a final inspection of the building will allow the first preschoolers to start learning the alphabet and drawing refrigerator art by July, said Masato
Who's eligible
Inaba, interim director of Head Start programs on O'ahu. Head Start will run the 'Aiea program.
"We have the agreement," Inaba said. "Before we go in we want to make sure everything is OK and safe for the children."
Head Start won the bids to run eight of 13 state Pre-Plus preschools, but five of the buildings, including 'Aiea, remain closed because of fire-code violations and other problems more than a year after construction was finished.
The Pre-Plus program of preschool education for low-income children is a public-private partnership: The state provides the buildings rent-free on school grounds, while licensed, accredited private providers bid to operate the preschools.
Legislators approved $5 million for the program in 2001. The plan was to use $2.5 million in each of two years to build preschools in communities with needy children lacking a sufficient number of preschools.
Thirteen preschools have been built, but bringing them up to building code has drained more than $1 million from the planned second group of classrooms, so only seven to nine more will be built, according to the state.
The lack of a working fire hydrant nearby had kept the 'Aiea preschool closed since construction was completed in October 2002, but following publication of a story about the situation in The Advertiser, the Navy, the city and the state reached an agreement last month to allow the Navy to repair, maintain and turn the hydrant back on.
"We are very happy to have done this and think it is good news that this particular item that has been holding up opening the school has been cleared," said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis.
Under federal law, the military may not compete with a local public utility unless the utility cannot provide a needed service and the Navy must charge a fair market value for its services, Davis said.
The state paid the Navy $5,000 to make repairs to the water line and restore water to the hydrant, and the city Board of Water Supply gave permission to provide the service, Davis said.
The repairs only cost about $3,000, so the state will be getting a refund, he said.
Arthur Kaneshiro, principal at 'Aiea Elementary School, can't wait for the school to open and is having the school's custodial staff clean the building inside and out to be ready.
A grand opening with blessing and ribbon-cutting will be held as soon as they know exactly when the school will officially open, Kaneshiro said.
"All it needed was people with common sense to say 'We can do that,' " he said.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
