Kā ka luna hoʻoponopono nota: Unuhi ʻia na Ākea Kahikina. Click here to read this article in English. 

ʻO kekahi leka ma ka lā 27 o ʻAukake mai ke poʻokula ʻo Ikaika Plunkett ma ke kula haʻahaʻa ʻo Pūʻōhala, ʻo ia ka mea i hoʻouna ʻia i nā ʻohana e komo ana i ko ke kula polokalamu kaiapuni, a he nūhou maikaʻi ʻole kona.

“E hāʻawi ʻia ʻo The State Distance Learning Program i nā haumāna a pau ma o ka ʻōlelo Pelekane wale nō,” wahi a ke poʻokula me ke kaha lalo ʻana i ka huaʻōlelo ʻo “Pelekane.”

“ʻAʻohe polokamu aʻo pūnaewele ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e hāʻawi ʻia aku ana ma kēia wā ma ka moku ʻo Koʻolau a i ʻole ma ka pae o ka Mokuʻāina,” wahi āna.

A hala kekahi mahina, ke hoʻolalelale mai nei ka DOE e kūkulu i polokalamu pūnaewele no nā haumāna kula kaiapuni no kēia makahiki kula. Akā, ua hoʻohihia nō naʻe ka nele ʻana o ua polokalamu nei i ka hoʻoholo ʻana i ka makahiki kula no nā haumāna, wahi a nā mākua, a ua koe aku nō ia ke ʻano o ke kula ma ko ka DOE ʻimi ʻana i nā kumu kūpono.

ʻO kā Plunkett leka, ua hoʻouna ʻia kēia i ko Pūʻōhala mau mākua ma hope o ka hala ʻana o ʻekolu mau pule ma hope o kinohi o ka makahiki kula, a ʻaʻole nui nā alahele ʻē aʻe e hehi ʻia no ka hele kula. Hiki i nā mākua ke hoʻouna kino aku i kā lākou mau keiki i ke kula no ke aʻo ʻana ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a i ʻole, hiki ke kau inoa ʻia ko lākou mau inoa i nā polokalamu aʻo pūnaewele ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekane, a iʻole, hiki ke kāpae i ko lākou hele kula ʻana i laila a aʻo iā lākou ma ka home.

Hiki ke komo i ka papa kaiapuni mai ka pae papa mālaaʻo a hiki i ka papa ʻeiwa ma ke kula ma Kāneʻohe. 

“He hoʻoweliweli kēia, ʻaʻole nō ia he alahele ʻē aʻe,” wahi a kahi leka ma ke kahua pūnaewele no nā papa makua no nā haumāna kaiapuni ʻo Hui Makua o Pūʻōhala. “He pono ko ko kākou mau haumāna i ka hoʻonaʻauao kaiapuni ʻia; ʻaʻole nō kūpono kēia,” wahi a ka leka me ka hoʻohana ʻia ʻana o ka huaʻōlelo ʻo kaiapuni.

E like me ko nā ʻohana ʻē aʻe, ua kānalua kekahi o nā mākua ma ko ka DOE polokalamu ʻo Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi i ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana i kā lākou mau keiki i nā papa kula i kēia makahiki ma muli o ka maʻi ʻo COVID-19, keu hoʻi ka hiki ʻole ʻana o nā kamaliʻi ke ʻō ʻia i ka lāʻau koʻokoʻo.

Ua hoʻomaka hou nā kula DOE he 257 a pau i ke aʻo kino ʻana ma kēia kula makahiki, ʻoiai ua kālele nā alakaʻi mokuʻāina a me nā alakaʻi olakino i nā makepono ma o ka hele kino ʻana i ke kula ma kahi o ka hele pūnaewele ʻana. Eia naʻe, ua kūkulu wikiwiki ka DOE i polokamu pūnaewele ma mua pono o ka hoʻomaka ʻana i ka makahiki kula ma ka lā 3 o ʻAukake, ma hope o ke koikoi ʻana a nā mākua.

Akā, e like ʻole me ko lākou hoa ʻōlelo Pelekane, ʻaʻole i hāʻawi ʻia kahi koho pūnaewele no nā ʻohana kula kaiapuni ma mua o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka makahiki hou, i loko nō o ka noi ʻana aku i ua koho nei. ʻO kekahi, ua kāpae lākou i ka hele kula ʻana a kā lākou keiki i ko lākou mau kula ponoʻī. ʻO kekahi ʻē aʻe, ke āʻumeʻume nei lākou i ka polokalamu pūnaewele ʻōlelo Pelekane, wahi a Kuʻulei Malohi, he makua ma ke kula haʻahaʻa ʻo Pūʻōhala.

“ʻAʻole nō paha i maopopo ka poʻe, ʻaʻole i hoʻomaka ʻia ke aʻo ʻōlelo Pelekane ʻana a hiki i ka papa ʻelima,” wahi āna.

No laila, ke hoʻokomo ʻia kahi keiki i hānai wale ʻia nō i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i loko o kahi polokalamu pūnaewele ʻōlelo Pelekane, “ʻua nui ʻino ka huikau,” wahi āna.

ʻŌlelo aku kekahi mau mākua, he pilikia kaulike ia, ʻoiai ua like ke kūlana kuleana o ka polokalamu kula kaiapuni i hoʻokumu ʻia ma ka makahiki 1987 me ko ka DOE mau kula ʻē aʻe. Ma o ka paeʻāina, he 21 mau kula kaiapuni o ke keʻena — ʻo ia nā polokalamu e lawelawe aku me he “kula i loko o kahi kula” lā — a he ʻeono kulu hoʻokumu kūʻokoʻa o laila kekahi, a lawelawe ʻia nā haumāna he 3,393 ma ka makahiki kula 2019-20, a ʻo ia kekahi hoʻonui ʻana he 40% mai kēlā makahiki ʻehā aku nei.

“Mau nō ka holo ʻana o ka wā maʻi ahulau…a pono i ko kākou mau ʻohana (ke polokalamu pūnaewele) no nā kumu olakino,” wahi a Brandi Cutler, ʻo ia kahi mea e noho ana ma ka papa no Hui Makua o Pūʻōhala, a he ʻekolu āna keiki e hele ana i ke kula kaiapuni.

“He pono kēia iā lākou, a he kūpono lākou i ia mea. Inā he koho ko ko lākou hoa ʻōlelo Pelekane, ʻaʻole mōakāka ke kumu o ka nele ʻana o kahi polokalamu like ma ka ʻaoʻao kaiapuni.”

Wahi a ka ʻike, ua lilo ka namunamu a nā mākua i hana maoli.

Ma o kāna keʻena ʻo Office of Hawaiian Education, ke ʻimi aku nei ka DOE i ʻehiku mau kumu piha-manawa a me 14 mau kumu hapa-manawa, a me kahi hoa hoʻonohonoho papa haʻawina a me ka ʻenehana a me kahi hoa kūkā no ke alakaʻi ʻana i polokalamu pūnaewele kūlike no nā haumāna ma ka papa ʻehiku a hiki i ka papa ʻumikūmāmālua.

ʻO ke koina kūlana haʻahaʻa loa, he pono ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana o kēlā me kēia moho i ka ʻōlelo hawaiʻi ma ke kula,” wahi a nā palapala.

Lana ka manaʻo o ka DOE, e mākaukau ana ka polokalamu ma mua o ka hōʻea ʻana mai o ka lua o ke kau hapahā e hoʻomaka ana ma ka lā 18 o ʻOkakopa, wahi a ka hope kahu kula nui ʻo Phyllis Unebasami i kāna ʻōlelo ʻana iā Board of Education ma kahi hālāwai ma ka lā 16 o Kepakemapa.

“Ke hana pū nei ʻo The Office of Hawaiian Education me kahi kōmike kūikawā e haku ʻia ai ka polokalamu no kā papa ʻehiku a i ka papa ʻumikūmāmālua,” i ʻōlelo aku ai ʻo ia iā lākou. “Ua kūpaʻa ke keʻena i ke aʻo kaiapuni maikaʻi ʻana a me ka lawelawe ʻana aku i nā haumāna a pau ma o ka hiki kaulike ʻana ke komo like i nā manawa kūpono hoʻonaʻauao.”

Akā, ua haku ʻia ka polokalamu pūnaewele no nā haumāna ʻōpiopio wale nō, a nūnēnūnē kekahi mau mākua i ke kumu o ka hoʻoholo ʻana i kēia polokalamu i kēia manawa. I loko nō o ke emi ʻana iho o ka nui o nā helu COVID-19 ma ka paeʻāina, ua nui nō naʻe ke koikoi ʻana: ua ʻōlelo ma kahi o iwakālua mau ʻohana, inā he koho ko lākou e hele kula ma o ka pūnaewele, e koho ana nō lākou i kēlā alahele, wahi a Cutler.

“Ua maopopo iā mākou, ʻaʻohe hoʻoponopono koke o ʻaneʻi no kahi polokalamu pūnaewele Hawaiʻi, akā, no ke aha lā i hoʻomaka ʻole ʻē ʻia ai kahi mea ʻē aʻe ma kēia wā?” wahi a Kaʻena Elaban, ʻo ia kekahi makua ma Maui e haʻi manaʻo ana ma ka hālāwai BOE.

Ma ka hoʻoneʻe ʻia ʻana o nā papa a pau i mau papa pūnaewele ma Malaki 2020, ma muli o ka wā maʻi ahulau, ʻo ke kula haʻahaʻa ʻo Pūʻōhala, ʻo ia kahi o nā kula kaiapuni kahiko loa, ua hoʻoneʻe ua kula nei i Zoom.

“Ua haku lākou i kēia polokalamu pūnaewele ikaika a nani,” wahi a Cutler. Ua hāpai ʻelua a ʻekolu mau kumu kaiapuni, e hiki ana iā lākou ke hoʻomau i ke aʻo pūnaewele ʻana ma kēia makahiki, akā ua hōʻole ʻia ua mau manaʻo nei, wahi a Malohi.

ʻO Plunkett, ʻo ia hoʻi ke poʻokumu, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i pane mai i nā noi no ka hāpai manaʻo ʻana.

Ua kālele kāna nota ma ka lā 27 o ʻAukake i nā ʻohana, “ʻo ke aʻo ʻana ma loko o ka papa maoli ma ke kula kaiapuni, ʻo ia ka ʻoi no ke aʻo ʻana” a ʻo ka papa kahi ʻoi loa e aʻo pono ʻia ai ka ʻōlelo.

ʻAʻole kūʻēʻē ʻo Leinaʻala Vedder, ʻo ia hoʻi ke kumu kula kaiapuni ma ke kula haʻahaʻa ʻo Pāʻia, i ka ʻoi loa o ke aʻo ʻana ma loko o ka papa maoli, akā ua kākoʻo ʻo ia i kahi polokalamu pūnaewele ma kahi haʻi manaʻo i kākau ʻia iā BOE.

Ua koikoi ke kumu no Maui mai i ka DOE e ʻimi i mau kumu pūnaewele hou ma kahi o ke kaukaʻi ʻana i nā kula kikoʻī e lako aku i nā limahana ʻānō.

“ʻO ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ka ʻōlelo o ka paeʻāina, a maopopo iaʻu, e hoʻomau ana kēia keʻena i kona kākoʻo ʻana e kō mau ai kāna hoʻohiki ʻana e ola ai ka ʻōlelo,” i kākau iho ai ʻo Vedder.

Ua hihia ʻē ka polokalamu kaiapuni.

Me ka ʻokoʻa o ka ʻōlelo a me ka moʻomeheu ma o nā wahi like ʻole o ka mokupuni, ua kūkulu nā kula i papa haʻawina ponoʻī mai kinohi aku. 

Uku hana aku ka DOE i nā kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi he $8,000 ma luna o ka uku maʻamau, ʻoiai he ʻuʻuku ka nui o lākou.

Ma hope o ka hoʻoholo ʻia ʻana o kēlā kulekele ma kinohi o ka makahiki 2020, ua piʻi aʻe ka nui o nā kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi he 8%, mai 87 kumu a i 94 kumu ma waena o nā makahiki kula 2019-20 a me 2020-21.

ʻO Kili Namauu, ʻo ia kahi lālā ma ka Board of Education a me kahi hoa hoʻonohonoho wahi ma ʻAha Pūnana Leo, ʻo ia hoʻi kahi kula kamaliʻi ma Wailuku, Maui, ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia, paʻa kona manaʻo i ka hana ʻole ʻana a ka Mokuʻāina e hoʻomaka i polokalamu pūnaewele kaiapuni ma muli o ka nele ʻana i nā kumu waiwai ʻole, “a me ka ʻoi loa o ke aʻo ʻōlelo ʻana he alo a he alo.”

“Pono iā lākou ke hōʻoia pinepine a ke kumu e hāʻawi aku ai iā lākou ma ka papa, keu hoʻi nā haumāna mai ka papa mālaaʻo a hiki i ka papa ʻelua,” wahi āna. “Akā, ma ka piʻi ʻana o ka nui helu o COVID, ua hopohopo nui nā ʻohana, a he pono kahi alahele e hehi aku ai no nā kānaka e hopohopo ana i ke olakino a me ka palekana.”

“A he pilikia kaulike nō ia.”