Aloha, Hālau Lōkahi families.

Thank you for your many calls to the Commission office seeking more information of transfer options for your students. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance, at info@spcsc.hawaii.gov or (808) 586-3775.

As we assume you have been informed, the school will be open this week starting tomorrow so that your students have a place to go if they are not yet enrolled in a new school. We hope that Hālau Lōkahi can assist you and your student with transfers as well. The Commission has authorized the release of funds to assist with transitions and closure.

We also want you to know that a Schools Fair for Hālau Lōkahi’s Oahu Families is planned for this coming Wednesday evening, January 14, 2015 at the Farrington High School library, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Representatives from other charter schools will be in attendance, and we have requested representatives for the DOE schools as well. Information on school options will be available, and information and assistance on the enrollment process will also be available. Stay tuned for confirmation and more details.

We understand that there are questions about requesting a hearing by the Commission on the closure decision. The Commission has notified the school’s governing board of the revocation process and urged it to consult its Deputy Attorney General. The governing board has 30 days to request a hearing by the Commission, if it chooses. The Commission then would have 15 days to schedule the hearing, with another 15 days’ advance notice. Then, the Commission would have up to 30 days to issue its final decision. After that, it would have 15 days to issue a written report notifying the school of its decision. If the Commission’s final decision were still to revoke the school’s contract, the governing board could appeal to the Board of Education. Before then, however, any funding would have been exhausted, because the school has already expended so much of its funds for the year, not even considering its unpaid past obligations.

The students of Hālau Lōkahi have an opportunity now to make a good start to their new semester, and other public schools are displaying great aloha in extending their welcomes and assistance. The Commission looks forward to continuing to help you find bright futures for your keiki.