Power Has Been Out In These Oʻahu Classrooms For Months
A building at Kalāheo High School has faced a power outage since the fall. Families are advocating for more funding to repair the school’s electrical system.
For eight months, students at Kalāheo High School have gone without power – including air conditioning and overhead lighting – in a building housing athletic facilities and classrooms.
An electrical outage in September plunged the building into darkness.
Since then, ice machines and a washer and dryer used for the school’s 52 athletic teams have been inoperable, said Heather Murphy, a parent and member of Kalāheo’s school community council, which consists of administrators, families and students.
Nanea Ching, communications director for the education department, said the power outage has minimally disrupted student activities and athletics, adding that the school relocated some classes from the affected building. Students also say the school has also brought in generators to power some portable lights in the athletic facilities, but it’s not a complete fix.
David Czarnecki, a junior at the school, said it’s difficult to navigate the weight room and locker rooms when there are only a few stand lights available. The classrooms, which are used for health and physical education classes, get hot when students come inside after their workouts, he said.
Without working ceiling lights or AC, students said, teachers leave the classroom windows and doors open to let air circulate and allow sunlight in.
“I don’t know when it might get fixed,” Czarnecki said. “I’d say there’s other schools in the area that don’t have these issues, so I don’t know why they’re not doing anything about our issues.”
Mia Velez, a freshman at Kalāheo, said the Internet connection has also become spotty since the building lost its power in the fall, forcing some of her teachers to occasionally switch from online presentations to paper and pencil assignments in her health class.
Rep. Michael Lee, who represents the area, said the education department needed time to source specialized contractors and materials to fix the electrical problems. The building requires more than 300 feet of underground electrical wiring and a new circuit breaker, he said, but the repairs should start on Saturday.
He’s hopeful the building will be operational by the end of the school year.
The state budget, which lawmakers passed on Wednesday, prioritizes electrical repairs and upgrades for the entire Kalāheo campus. Lee estimates the project could cost $5.7 million.
In addition to the electrical outage in the athletic building, Murphy said, the school also needs working lights for its parking lot and the main street passing through its campus.
“It’s not a super exciting renovation,” she said, “but I think it’s something that the school desperately needs, that will impact the functionality of the school for years to come.”
In the meantime, the school is also dealing with a millipede problem that emerged after the recent rainy weather and still remains, Czarnecki said. The millipedes tend to congregate near the gym and on the outside of some buildings, he said, adding that some of his classmates are uncomfortable when the bugs crawl on them.
Ching said custodians have been sweeping and vacuuming millipedes on a daily basis. A local pest control company has also sprayed the campus twice. The millipede population is shrinking as the weather becomes drier.
Who Can Be Contacted?
Hawaiʻi Department of Education Office of Facilities and Operations, 808-784-5000.
Have A Problem You’d Like To See Fixed?
Tell us where the problem is, as specifically as possible. A cell phone photo would be helpful. Here are ways to get in touch:
You can submit using this form or email us at news@civilbeat.org. Put “Fix It” in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost among the many other news tips we receive. You can also send a letter to the newsroom at P.O. Box 10857, Honolulu, HI 96816.
We won’t use your name without your permission but, if we pursue your fix, we will get back to you with what we find.
Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
