Clarification on K-12 "Vouchers"

February 14, 2002

Contributed by CEO Message

First, the FACTS: The initiation of a scholarship program (mislabeled "vouchers") for needy Native Hawaiian children to attend accredited preschools has been recommended and approved as part of the Strategic Implementation Plan II. KS is now awaiting approval for this program from the Probate Court, and procedures are being developed for implementation in April of 2002. Second, the RUMOR: It has been rumored that KS will extend this scholarship program to K-12 Hawaiian students to enroll in other private schools. Third, CLARIFICATION: In truth, this extension was discussed as part of our commitment to find ways to serve more and more persons of Hawaiian ancestry, which is the major thrust of the Strategic Implementation Plan. However, the idea has not gone any further than a concept for discussion. In fact,it was NOT recommended by the CEO to the Trustees. The reasons are straightforward: 1. A scholarship program for K-12 private school students would compete with our priority commitment to serve more persons of Hawaiian Ancestry through the public school system, and we do not have sufficient resources to do both, even if the private schools would consider matching our funding. 2. A scholarship program for K-12 private school students could evolve into a subsidy for Hawaiian families who would have enrolled their children in private schools anyway, as is the case for 33% of the students participating in similar programs in Milwaukee and Cleveland. Thus, Kamehameha's objectives would not be met, as we desire to expand our reach to the neediest of Native Hawaiians who would not otherwise be served. 3. A scholarship program for K-12 private school students would be viewed as extending the reach to only a select few and thus the impact of such a program on extending Kamehameha's reach would be limited, at best. 4. A scholarship program for K-12 private school students raises questions that have not been answered: * Would the program be offered to all Native Hawaiian students on a needs-based level, thereby potentially creating our own competition for the best and brightest students (a potential Brain Drain from KS)? * Or would the program be offered only to those needs-based students of Hawaiian Ancestry who applied to and were eligible to enter KS, but were not admitted due to lower scores or space limitations? This would not be a brain drain issue, and if KS could support their entrance into another private school, would that be a good thing? * Are there other more effective ways to reach these Hawaiian students, recognize their potential and foster their education and development? I hope I have provided some insight into this very complex and difficult issue. There is much more to discuss and analyze, and I hope we can count on you to set the record straight should you encounter discussion and speculation about our preschool scholarship program. Mahalo for your continued support, Hamilton I. McCubbin Chief Executive Officer