Posted on: Friday, September 24, 2004
Immersion program seeks more students
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KANE'OHE — The Hawaiian immersion program at Pu'ohala Elementary School has lost its kindergarten teacher because of low enrollment, and the situation has motivated parents to try to increase the numbers.
The school has eight kindergartners, and 10 to 15 are needed to assure a teacher for that grade level. Because of the shortage, a combined kindergarten/first-grade class was formed, totaling 24 students.
School officials and parents agree that a combined class puts pressure on the teacher, and the school is trying to find money to hire an assistant for the K/1 teacher.
"No parent and I'm sure no teacher likes to have a combo class because you have to consider the different grade levels and you have to cover more," said Susan Kanehailua, who has children in the school's immersion program and is president of Papa Makua 'O Pu'ohala, a parent group for the immersion program. She said no parents had complained about the situation so far.
The uprooted kindergarten teacher, Kalae Akioka, who had seniority at the school, said she elected to take a leave of absence rather than force another teacher out. Akioka said she will have the option of returning next year if enrollment is sufficient.
Until then, she said, her husband, Dukie Akioka, is teaching the K-1 class and it's difficult for him.
The decline in enrollment caught most off guard. The program has been extremely popular and at times has had to turn children away.
Kanehailua said the program won't weaken because of low enrollment this year, but the situation must be reversed. "I think in the long run if the enrollment keeps decreasing, naturally the program will die," she said, vowing not to let that happen.
Principal Alexis Kane is optimistic.
"We don't anticipate not having sufficient enrollment (for next year). We're working on enrollment as we speak. That was a real wake-up call," Kane said.
She said the concept of immersion is excellent because it develops the language and keeps the culture alive, and added that many people fought hard to bring the program to the school.
"We don't want it to go by the wayside because of indifference or apathy," Kane said.
The state Department of Education operates immersion programs — in which only Hawaiian is spoken in the classroom — at 18 schools, most of which share campuses with other public schools. Pu'ohala's program, operating since 1990, is one of the oldest and had a steady stream of new students until this year.
The lower enrollment could be the result of a number of things, including a charter immersion school that opened nearby and the lack of a secondary school in the community, said Puanani Wilhelm, DOE administrator for the Hawaiian Studies and Language Program.
Overall enrollment in the immersion programs has been steady, with schools such as Waiau and Nanakuli each having more than 20 kindergartners, Wilhelm said. A number of factors seem to contribute to the high enrollments there, she said, including college-educated parents who recognize the value of children learning two languages, a supportive principal and stable teaching staff.
Combining classes in the immersion program is not unusual, she said. Kindergarten enrollment also was low at Waimea, Hau'ula and Kualapu'u elementary schools with 10 or fewer kindergartners this year, Wilhelm said. Waimea uses a combined class. The other two schools were able to maintain their regular number of teachers.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
