The academy, a private parochial school with two campuses in Nu'uanu, proposes to buy empty land that would go to the public school system in exchange for receiving title to state land it is leasing just off the Pali Highway near the Philippine Consulate. The academy is building a middle school, which will open next year, on the leased five-acre site.

Under the proposal, the state property that HBA leases would be appraised, and then HBA would purchase land worth an equivalent amount for the public schools. Depending on how much HBA is able to buy, the Board of Education would decide which school — Ka'a'awa or Kahuku — would get a new site, or if both schools could move.

Richard Bento, president of HBA, said the academy would like to be able to own the land where construction of a middle school is already under way.

"We don't even know if it's affordable to us," said Bento. "We're just looking at that and hoping to come to some agreement at some point. It should be beneficial for both HBA and the Department of Education if that materializes."

But long before that happens, the board must decide which Windward school is in the most need: Ka'a'awa Elementary, which sits in a tsunami zone on a dangerous curve, or Kahuku Intermediate and High, which is in a flood zone and is often closed by flooding during heavy rain.

At a board committee hearing yesterday, Windward area superintendent Lea Albert said she'd like to see the department obtain the property to provide new schools at both sites.

"I like them both," she said. "I want Ka'a'awa off the highway and out of the tsunami zone, and I want to get Kahuku out of the flood zone."

Albert said the Ka'a'awa community is aware of the proposal through its community association, while in Kahuku the community has long wanted a new school.

"They've been working for 20 years to get the school out of the flood zone," she said of the Kahuku community.

Rae Loui, assistant superintendent heading the Office of Business Services for the DOE, said later that if the Nu'uanu land appraises at a high enough value — as much as $5 million, she suggested — "maybe we can get them both."

However, the department is already expecting that the price of the Nu'uanu land may not even cover the cost of the Kahuku site. On top of that, the department estimates the cost to build a new school there at from $116 million to $148 million.

A new Ka'a'awa school would cost less because it would be smaller.

WEIGHING PROS, CONS

In Ka'a'awa, the land in question is a 49.7-acre site owned by Kualoa Ranch that sits on the mountain side of the existing school. The DOE says it would need about 12 acres of the parcel to build a school.

In Kahuku, meanwhile, the land under consideration is a 58.4-acre parcel on a mountain ridge owned by the Campbell Estate above the existing school. A new school would require 22.8 acres of that parcel.

The department is already looking at pros and cons for each proposal, and was leaning at first toward the Ka'a'awa proposal before the Campbell land became available, said Loui.

The benefits to choosing Ka'a'awa would also include allowing the school to grow from its current 3.7 acre site in mostly portable buildings next to a highway that's often closed because of high winter surf. The drawbacks to choosing Ka'a'awa include the fact that the school is losing enrollment; it had just 147 students last year, and its projected enrollment in 2010 is 99 students.

KAHUKU MAY GROW

The benefit to choosing Kahuku would also include being able to enlarge a school that now holds 1,800 students and is already 305 students over capacity. While projected enrollment is also declining, it will still be over capacity in 2010, says the department. However, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is planning a large residential development nearby that might increase enrollment.

One drawback to choosing Kahuku is that the developer may be required to give land to the state at some future time in return for some development rights, although there are no immediate development plans.

The board questioned department officials about the community's wishes, and member Garrett Toguchi said he would set up community meetings in conjunction with superintendent Pat Hamamoto, to get up-to-date community input.

The board intends to move forward quickly as the state hopes for a decision sometime this fall so any land swap agreement could go to the Legislature for final review.

These latest land-swap proposals bring to three the number of Windward schools that could be seeing big changes in the future.

Already under study by the board is a proposal to swap a steep 97-acre mountain parcel at the foot of Mount Olomana for the present site of Kailua High School. What sweetens that proposal is an offer by landowners Christopher and Kimberly Dey to throw in $70 million to build the new school.