When Mililani Mauka Elementary was faced with the possibility of losing its P.E. and music teachers, parents stepped in with more than $40,000 to save one of the positions and the school fundraised for the other.

And parents recently raised more than $28,000 — about $14,000 a year for two years — to fund a part-time art teacher at the school, said principal Carol Peterson.

"Not only do parents give us monetary support above and beyond what the state gives us, but they also do a lot of volunteer work in our schools," Peterson said. "Honestly, we couldn't do it without our very generous parents."

Mililani Mauka is certainly not alone. As public school students start returning to the classroom tomorrow, almost all of the state's 257 schools have stories of how their community and parents step up year after year to provide some kind of extra support — from repainting walls to donating computers, holding bake sales or doing campus cleanups.

There are a number of ways that communities can support their schools. Principals said their most pressing needs are for volunteers (either in the classroom or around campus), school supplies, equipment, help with beautification projects and, of course, money.

"The general public has no idea how much church groups, business and communities actually do for our schools," said Ryan Shigetani, executive director of the Hawaii 3Rs initiative, which helps fund repair and maintenance projects in public schools through public and private grants.

While the state provides about $13,000 for each of the about 175,000 public school students to cover education costs, schools are always looking for more help and typically turn to their community for that extra assistance. School officials see the extra help, whether in the form of volunteer tutors or donations, as important in achieving student success.

Statewide public schools receive more than $2 million a year in private donations to augment their DOE budgets. School officials said the gifts fill the gaps between their needs and the funds from the Legislature.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Judy Nagasako heads the DOE's business-education partnership office, which helps pair individuals and groups that want to contribute with schools in need.

"Parent and community involvement is known to be a factor in students doing well in school. ... The issue is how do you recruit that and sustain that?" she said.

Her office last year kicked off a Web tool called the Volunteers and Partners Program that allows schools to post their needs online. Businesses, private donors and volunteers can search the Web site to find where they can be of help, she said.

Currently, four schools are testing the Web tool. It is intended to help match donors with the needs in the schools, which has traditionally been done through word of mouth. If it's successful, Nagasako said, it could expand to more schools.

And what exactly are the needs? Nagasako said they vary.

For instance, Radford High School recently asked for volunteer math and Spanish tutors. Waikiki Elementary School needed benches for students. And Moanalua Middle School is seeking sponsors for a "character building sports camp."

While schools obviously benefit when businesses or churches step in to help, Nagasako said there is a bigger issue involved.

"It's really about getting the community invested in what happens in education. A well-educated community is healthier for everyone," she said.

Much of the outside support Radford High School receives comes from partnerships with the four branches of the military, since 70 percent of its students come from military families, said principal Robert Stevens.

Stevens said members of the military have provided everything from schoolwide Internet wiring and computers to job shadowing opportunities.

"It makes us a better school when you look at what we have to offer our students. The Air Force came in and wired this whole school for closed-circuit television and Internet access. ... That has allowed us to increase our capabilities," Stevens said.

About five years ago, Stevens said, the military set up and equipped four computer labs on campus — two dedicated to PCs and two to Macintosh computers.

"One year, the whole math department received brand-new textbooks," he said. "We're really fortunate to have the military as a resource. It allows our teachers to keep their energy focused in the classroom."

SOME HAVE LITTLE

While some schools, such as Mililani Mauka Elementary, are in areas where residents have the resources to help, other schools do not have that advantage.

Fern Elementary in Kalihi, where 70 percent of students are below the poverty line and eligible for free or reduced lunch, often turns to business or church groups for support, principal Lani Kapololu said.

"Fundraising taxes our parents and community a lot. We do some fundraising, but we can't do a lot of it," Kapololu said.

Faith-based group Common Grace, a consortium of about 30 local churches, is one group that has provided Fern with extra support. Founded in 2003, the group currently serves 30 schools by matching up local churches with a school.

In addition to tutoring and mentoring, the group funds a program called Breakfast and Reading, which encourages students to take advantage of the school's breakfast service and also provides the school with money to buy books that can be read during the meal.

Former state Rep. Dennis Arakaki, who works with Common Grace, said the program also helps support schools by way of school supplies, equipment and clean-up projects.

"Because I represented the Kalihi area for more than 30 years, I understand the need that exists in the community. The schools that desperately need the support, such as Fern, are surrounded by communities that aren't able to provide it," he said.

There are other factors that contribute to the amount of extra support schools receive from the community.

Niu Valley Middle School principal Justin Mew said parent support tends to taper off substantially once students reach middle school and high school.

"Typically parents come out strong to help elementary schools. In high school, parents seem to support specialized fundraisers, like team booster clubs. But middle schools don't seem to get as much attention," Mew said.

GETTING INVOLVED

Niu Valley has a parent organization that does some fundraising for specific goals, such as reaching its goal of becoming the first Hawai'i public school to implement the International Baccalaureate program. But the school also looks to community organizations, such at the Hawaii 3Rs program, for help.

For example, last weekend about 20 real estate agents and staff from Prudential Locations volunteered their time for a Hawaii 3Rs project at the school — repainting the boys' and girls' locker rooms and refurbishing the cafeteria stage.

The Hawaii 3Rs program, started by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye in 2000 to help reduce the repair and maintenance backlog in public schools, has awarded 317 grants totaling $9.3 million since its inception. The state estimates that it would have cost $22.5 million to complete those projects. The program works with volunteers from businesses, the community, the military and unions to complete projects.

"What we like to focus on is the community relationships that are created with these projects. Even after a project is over, the school now has a new partner, whether it's Prudential Locations in the case of Niu Valley or another business, who will continue to partner with that school and be tied to that school," Shigetani said.

Principals also say community involvement must begin at home.

"When we talk about parent involvement, we're talking about them getting involved with their kid's education, so that it's more of a collaboration between the parent and the schools," said Myron Brumaghim, principal of Nanaikapono Elementary School in Nanakuli.

"So the top of the priority list is seeing parents more involved with the education of their own kids — working with teachers to see what kinds of things they can do to help their own kids."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.