By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
Innovations Public Charter School plans to begin the next school year with eight more classrooms, a soccer field, a covered basketball court and two new grade levels, said Director Jennifer Hiro.
The award-winning Kailua-Kona school is receiving a $2.9 million federal government loan for expansion and refinancing its existing $1.3 million debt, Hiro said.
“We’re very excited,” she said. “We’ve been at our current location for roughly seven years and have long wanted to expand the campus. We look forward to adding Kindergarten and ninth grade to our program next fall, moving the middle school onto a more permanent campus, as well as expanding learning opportunities in our culinary arts, performing arts, fitness and sustainable garden programs for all of our students.”
Hiro was unsure whether the loan will pay for the entire cost of expansion — something she will have a better idea of once the project is put out to bid. She also hopes construction will happen right away and be completed in time for the 2012-13 school year. She added Innovations has draft designs of the expansion and the plans will be presented April 10 at its Local School Board meeting.
U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, as well as U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, announced Wednesday the award, made under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facility Direct Loan program. Loans and guarantees are available to public entities and are used to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population.
While “extremely grateful” for the federal loan, Hiro also expressed gratitude to Central Pacific Bank and First Hawaiian Bank for helping the school.
Innovations opened Aug. 1, 2001, and serves 185 students in grades 1-8. The demand for attending this free, nontraditional school has shown no signs of letting up. Its waiting list for enrollment is extensive, with hundreds of prospective students. Because more students apply for admission than space allows, the school admits students based on a public lottery system, as required by federal mandate, Hiro said.