Jr. Bow ‘Ohana: Please Help to Save Our School This Week!

There are 2 public meetings coming up and WE NEED SUPPORTERS!!

1.  This Tuesday, January 31, 3pm, State Capitol:  HRE (Higher Ed Committee) Hearing, agenda attached below with highlighted information.  No testimony is needed, but please write to the legislators prior to the hearing to show your support.

See two suggested messages at the bottom of this post. Or please feel free to write your own.

PLEASE come to support ULS at this hearing if you can. We can meet outside Conference Room 229 and go in together at one time.  Please try to be there at 2:30 p.m.

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2.  This Wednesday, February 1, 7 p.m. at the Manoa Neighborhood Board Meeting, agenda attached with highlighted information.

PLEASE DO SUBMIT TESTIMONY in support of ULS by this Monday, January 30 at 7 P.M. — It can be the same as the letter to the legislators. Make reference to: Agenda Item VII.a. University of Hawaii Manoa Expansion

And/Or please log in to the zoom Manoa Board meeting

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3.  Here is a list of legislators you can contact with your letters of support, and feel free to contact your own legislators if they are not on these particular committees.

SENATE:

Senate President:  Ron Kouchi, senkouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov

Higher Ed Committee:
Donna Mercado Kim, Chair: senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov
Michelle Kidani, Vice-Chair: senkidani@capitol.hawaii.gov
Carol Fukunaga (Manoa): senfukunaga@capitol.hawaii.gov
Gilbert Keith-Agaran: senkeithagaran@capitol.hawaii.gov
Kurt Fevella: senfevella@capitol.hawaii.gov

Ways and Means Committee:
Donovan Dela Cruz, Chair:  sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov
Gilbert Keith-Agaran, Vice-Chair:  senkeithagaran@capitol.hawaii.gov

Other committee members you may wish to contact: Henry Aquino repaquino@capitol.hawaii.gov; Lynn DeCoite sendecoite@capitol.hawaii.gov; Lorraine Inouye seninouye@capitol.hawaii.gov; Dru Kanuha senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov; Michelle Kidani senkidani@capitol.hawaii.gov; Donna Mercado Kim senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov; Chris Lee senlee@capitol.hawaii.gov; Sharon Moriwaki senmoriwaki@capitol.hawaii.gov; Maile Shimabukuro senshimabukuro@capitol.hawaii.gov; Glenn Wakai senwakai@capitol.hawaii.gov; Kurt Fevella senfevella@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Education Committee:
Michelle Kidani, Chair: senkidani@capitol.hawaii.gov
Donna Mercado Kim, Vice-Chair: senkim@capitol.hawaii.gov

Other committee members you may wish to contact: Dru Kanuha senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov; Herbert Richards senrichards@capitol.hawaii.gov; Kurt Fevella senfevella@capitol.hawaii.gov.

HOUSE:

Speaker:  Scott Saiki, repsaiki@capitol.hawaii.gov

Finance:
Kyle Yamashita, Chair, repyamashita@capitol.hawaii.gov
Lisa Kitagawa, Vice-Chair, repkitagawa@capitol.hawaii.gov

Other committee members you may wish to contact: Micah Aiu repaiu@capitol.hawaii.gov; David Alcos III repalcos@capitol.hawaii.gov; Cory Chun repchun@capitol.hawaii.gov; Elle Cochran repcochran@capitol.hawaii.gov; Andrew Garrett repgarrett@capitol.hawaii.gov; Kirsten Kahaloa repkahaloa@capitol.hawaii.gov; Darius Kila repkila@capitol.hawaii.gov; Bert Kobayashi repkobayashi@capitol.hawaii.gov; Rachele Lamosao replamosao@capitol.hawaii.gov; Dee Morikawa repmorikawa@capitol.hawaii.gov; Scott Nishimoto repnishimoto@capitol.hawaii.gov; Mahina Poepoe reppoepoe@capitol.hawaii.gov; Jenna Takenouchi reptakenouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov; Gene Ward repward@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Education:
Justin Woodson, Chair:  repwoodson@capitol.hawaii.gov
Lisa Marten, Vice-Chair, repmarten@capitol.hawaii.gov
Other committee members you may wish to contact: Diamond Garcia repgarcia@capitol.hawaii.gov; Jeanne Kapela repkapela@capitol.hawaii.gov; Rose Martinez repmartinez@capitol.hawaii.gov; Scot Matayoshi repmatayoshi@capitol.hawaii.gov; Amy Perruso repperruso@capitol.hawaii.gov; Sean Quinlan repquinlan@capitol.hawaii.gov; Chris Todd reptodd@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Higher Education and Technology:
Amy Perruso, Chair, repperusso@capitol.hawaii.gov
Jeanne Kapela, Vice-Chair, repkapela@capitol.hawaii.gov

Other committee members you may wish to contact: Diamond Garcia repgarcia@capitol.hawaii.gov; Lisa Marten repmarten@capitol.hawaii.gov; Rose Martinez repmartinez@capitol.hawaii.gov; Scot Matayoshi repmatayoshi@capitol.hawaii.gov; Sean Quinlan repquinlan@capitol.hawaii.gov; Chris Todd reptodd@capitol.hawaii.gov; Justin Woodson repwoodson@capitol.hawaii.gov.

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Here Are Two Possible Messages to Send, or please feel free to write your own:

A Shorter Version:

Dear Senator Kim and Senator Kidani,

I am writing to ask for your help and support for the University Laboratory School (ULS).

ULS has a long historical connection to the foundation of UH and the College of Education (COE). The Lab School continues to have an ongoing affiliation and partnership with UH in this work. ULS works closely with its partnered research organization, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to support professors, researchers and graduate students in their education research endeavors. In the last 5 years, various COE curriculum has been piloted in our classrooms for feedback and development; various COE students are placed in our classes to fulfill their undergraduate field work and graduate degree program requirements; and we have UHM, DOE, national and international visitors who typically observe classes, interact with our students, and meet with administrators and teachers. Invited guests from the community at large also provide supplemental learning experiences for students and faculty. Our faculty has also shared our internal research at local and national conferences.

ULS has continually performed as one of the top public schools in the state and our students go on to become great community members and leaders!

We have heard that UH would like to have the Lab School vacate the property so they can build a commercial/residential mix development on the parcel.

We are asking for your support to help the Lab School either stay on the UH campus or please actively assist us with finding a new home for our 450 students! We owe it to our parents and students to give them a stable environment where they are welcomed and supported. What can we do? We love the Lab School and want it to be an educational option for generations to come!

Sincerely,

Name
Contact Number
Class of _ _ _ _ or ULS Parent / ULS Teacher / ULS Staff / Friend of ULS / etc.

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A Longer Version:

Dear Senator Kim and Senator Kidani,

I am writing to ask for your help and support for the University Laboratory School (ULS).  ULS has a long historical connection to the foundation of UH and the College of Education. Operating at its current location, the Lab School was originally a place to prepare teachers and then a place to conduct educational research by UH for the benefit of Hawai‘i’s children.

Today the Lab School continues to have an ongoing affiliation and partnership with UH in this work. ULS works closely with its partnered research organization, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa to support professors, researchers and graduate students in their education research endeavors. In the last 5 years, various COE curriculum has been piloted in our classrooms for feedback and development; various COE students are placed in our classes to fulfill their undergraduate field work and graduate degree program requirements; and we have UHM, DOE, national and international visitors who typically observe classes, interact with our students, and meet with administrators and teachers. Invited guests from the community at large also provide supplemental learning experiences for students and faculty. Our faculty has also shared our internal research at local and national conferences.

ULS has continually performed as one of the top public schools in the state and our students go on to become great community members and leaders!

On 1/12/2023, at the Ways and Means (WAM) Higher Ed Committee (HRE) information briefing with the UH officials, the issue of demolishing and replacing the PBS building was brought up.  This then led to the discussion of the Lab School and it’s future at our current location, which is the only home we’ve known since the 1930s.  When questioned by the Senators, UH President Lassner and UH representatives made inaccurate statements about the Lab School.  President Lassner told the Senators that the “Lab School has no affiliation with UH.” ULS became a charter school in 2001 and has had an affiliation agreement with the UH-College of Ed since 2010. Throughout the years up until the present day, as pointed out above, ULS has had continual interaction and engagement with the College of Ed.

The UH administration stated in the briefing that they will work with ULS and give us “ample time- in a scale of years” to find a new home. To date, we have not received any communication from the UH. Here is the link:  https://youtu.be/rnoo2a8DKcI to the WAM meeting. Discussion of ULS occurs at about the 2 hour, 07 minute mark.

At this same hearing, UH representatives told the Senators that they want to work with a private developer to turn the area into a mixed residential/commercial space. What a shame it would be to give the land to a private developer to build a retail complex or some revenue generating facility, solely to make money with no educational component on the land.  Redeveloping the property into a mixed residential/commercial area will have a profound 24/7 impact on the community with significantly greater density, vehicular, and foot traffic, the look of the neighborhood, and the safety and security of residents, among other issues.  This will compound the effects the other UH development, the Atherton expansion project on the corner of Metcalf and University that is already underway, will have on our community.

We are asking for your support to help the Lab School either stay on the UH campus or please actively assist us with finding a new home for our 450 students! We owe it to our parents and students to give them a stable environment where they are welcomed and supported. What can we do? We love the Lab School and want it to be an educational option for generations to come!Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further!
Sincerely,

Name
Contact Number
Class of _ _ _ _ or ULS Parent / ULS Teacher / ULS Staff / Friend of ULS / etc.

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Please contact Denise Yoshimori-Yamamoto, ULS Governing Board Chair, with any questions: dfyoshimori@gmail.com.