Ka'ohao Public Charter School

My children have been at Lanikai Elementary for two years now and they love it. The teachers and students are truly one-of- a - kind. My husband is in the military and so our children have attended many elementary schools on the mainland including public and private schools and this school is one of the best we have been a part of. Our children love going to school and the small setting allows children to feel welcome. The new principal is very devoted to the children, staff and parents of Lanikai. He wants to make the school the best it can be. My family really enjoys being a part of this great school.

With any school, the Principal sets the tone for the school. A good Principal can easily turn around a bad school. Unfortunately, a great school can be undone by a bad Principal. Lanikai was a school of excellence four years ago. The truth is, it no longer is. The current principal is not involved with teachers or students. He refuses to perform classroom observations and relies on his routine 2 minutes in front of each classroom to "assess" his staff. Teachers routinely complain that the principal has "no idea what I am doing in my class". Most of the positive test results and reviews were due to the previous principal, who was excellent. Our current principal is not even qualified to be a DOE principal. Sadly there are some excellent teachers, but without strong leadership, they are fighting a losing battle.

Lanikai Elementary has made some aggressive, positive changes in office staff and in administration. Our current principal and school board works tirelessly to effect change for the better. While some changes may be controversial among a small minority of parents and teaching staff, change is essential in creating new learning for the future. Lanikai has excellent teachers who care about kids and many of them have been there for for a long time. Great art, music and Hawaiiana programs!

I have always worked hard to keep my child in Lanikai Elementary so that he/she has some stability and a chance at a quality education. However, the changes made by the new principle and his staff have turned what has once a wonderful school in to a chaotic disaster. I would've have pulled my child out early in the school year but transitioning schools is difficult and my child's friends are at Lanikai. The teachers and the aids are supportive and hard-working but seem to be disappearing fast.

Lanikai is rated very highly by the state. It was a very good school until about twenty months ago when the previous principal left. Several beloved teachers and office staff have recently been removed, and those who still have their jobs are afraid to speak up for themselves and for our children. In fact, parents who have voiced concerns have experienced retaliation aimed at them or at their children. There are also some discipline problems that are not being addressed because the teachers can not count on being backed up by the principal. As of May 7, 2009, most or all of the teachers still did not have contracts for the 2009-2010 school year. Parents who wanted to know which teachers would be there to teach their children next year were told that it was not appropriate for them to ask. The school does have many good points like an excellent art department and a phenomenal PTA, but the atmosphere that now exists at the school is eroding the morale of the teachers, parents, and students.

Lanikai has great families but does not have consistency from year to year with too many new teachers every year, most are good, but have no job security. The principal is not an effective leader and spends more time in controversey, than positive movement of the students, teachers, and staff.

We waited on the list to get our children into this school because of the high scores academically and the caring of the teaching staff and the excellent parent networking and aid to the students learning environment. If you want to be involved in your children's education, this is the right place. The only drama created is by those parents who "talk" the ideas, but don't step up to do the help. We are thankful we were accepted here!

Like many other families, we are leaving Lanikai. Too much drama and not enough teaching!