A recommendation on whether to consolidate Wailupe Valley Elementary with nearby 'Aina Haina Elementary could come as early as next week with consolidation task force members preparing to accept public testimony in a hearing tonight.

Closing Wailupe Valley and shifting its 78 students to nearby 'Aina Haina could result in significant cost savings to the state, according to a report released in March by a task force charged with examining the possibility of the school merger.

The task force, comprising parents, educators and community members, has been meeting since Dec. 23 to formulate a recommendation. The panel is set to meet tonight at 6 at Niu Valley Middle School's cafeteria to accept testimony from members of the public.

The panel will meet April 16 to reach a final recommendation on whether to close Wailupe, said task force chairman Cary Miyashiro.

"We'll be using the findings in the report along with the oral and written testimony to come up with our recommendation," he said.

The task force's recommendation will then be submitted to the Honolulu District Office. Eventually, Superintendent Pat Hamamoto will make a recommendation to the Board of Education, who has the final say in the matter.

Parents who oppose the consolidation say they don't want to lose the small class sizes at Wailupe Valley. They say they fear their children will lose the benefits of one-on-one interactions with teachers.

Wailupe's classes range in size from eight to 14 students, while 'Aina Haina's ranges from 17 to 22.

"We have to come up with a recommendation we can defend," Miyashiro said. "Just saying it's good to have small class sizes is hard to defend."

According to the report released March 6, the state spends more than twice as much per pupil at Wailupe Valley ($12,079) than at 'Aina Haina ($5,140).

The weighted student formula, the Department of Education's method for allocating resources, gives money to schools based on student population. But for smaller schools to get enough money to operate, the formula includes 30 percent or more in extra money.

Taking into account total operating costs for the school, the state would save about $804,000 a year if Wailupe were to close and its staff and students moved. Wailupe also has a repair and maintenance backlog of some $9.7 million.