Kamehameha Files Response Brief

May 18, 2004

Contributed by CEO Message

As news of our filing spreads, we can expect the level of public discussion on this matter to increase as well. Our alumni, parents, employees and other friends are our most valuable ambassadors in the broader community. And as people who are associated with Kamehameha, you may be asked for your mana'o on this legal situation. You may want to consider the following points if such an occasion arises:

Kamehameha Schools will vigorously defend its admissions policy. First and foremost, we believe that our admissions policy is necessary and consistent with applicable law. Kamehameha Schools will vigorously defend our policy of giving preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry.

Kamehameha Schools' policy helps remedy past injustices suffered by Hawaiians. The history of the oppression and deprivation of Hawaiians, an indigenous people who suffered greatly in their once-sovereign homeland, and the compelling need to remedy past injustices, are well established. By utilizing our own resources, those given to Kamehameha Schools by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, to educate Hawaiians first, we help Hawaiians continue to elevate and heal themselves.

The policy of preference is essential to fulfilling Kamehameha Schools' mission. The schools were founded by Princess Pauahi to build the capability and well-being of the Hawaiian people through education. Hawaiian students still face higher educational risk factors than do non-Hawaiian students. Hawaiians also suffer from among the poorest health statistics, highest unemployment levels, lowest educational achievement, and the list goes on. Kamehameha's preference policy allows us to help Hawaiian children overcome these risks and realities, and to make the most of their potential

Using the resources of Princess Pauahi's estate, Kamehameha Schools has been a leader in educating Hawaiians and preserving our indigenous culture. Kamehameha Schools provides a valuable education that not only allows Hawaiian children to perform well in our society, but also provides a cultural education that reconnects Hawaiian children with the values and traditions of their ancestors.

Kamehameha Schools uses private resources to provide a quality education to Hawaiian children. Kamehameha Schools is a private institution funded by a private Trust. It provides educational opportunities that help contribute to better lives for students, their families and their communities. Kamehameha Schools' Hawaiian cultural education reconnects Hawaiian children with their ancestral values, pride and dignity, and helps reawaken and build upon the innate strengths of their cultural foundations.

I hope you find the above information useful in your discussions on this matter of great importance. We will keep you updated as other milestones in this appeal process approach. The Court has yet to determine when the actual hearing will take place, and where it will convene. As this information becomes available, we will let you know.

I am happy to receive your comments or questions on this matter. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, our faculty, students, staff and families, mahalo for your continued support of Kamehameha Schools.