HILO — Now in its second year, Ka‘u Learning Academy is readying for a growth spurt. ADVERTISING HILO — Now in its second year, Ka‘u Learning Academy is readying for a growth spurt. The public charter school located in the
HILO — Now in its second year, Ka‘u Learning Academy is readying for a growth spurt.
The public charter school located in the former Discovery Harbor golf course clubhouse wants to increase its classroom enrollment from 65 to 100. But first, it must meet requirements set by the Hawaii County Planning Department.
The Windward Planning Commission was scheduled to hear about the school’s proposed expansion Thursday. But school officials asked for more time to meet county requirements to increase its classroom space as a condition of its special permit.
“There are some issues remaining, still some questions,” planner Jeff Darrow said Thursday. “We’re getting more information to make sure the occupancy limits are met.”
Darrow said the department needs the information before it can submit a staff report and recommendation to the commission.
Ka‘u Learning Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school. It began its second year in August with grades three through seven. KLA serves students from all of Ka‘u including Naalehu, Ocean View and Pahala.
Unlike traditional public schools, KLA provides individualized education for every student, allowing each child to work at his or her own ability level. KLA is changing the education paradigm from students understanding their teachers to teachers understanding their students, its website says.
“We know that every child is unique, and the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach used in most public schools does not work for many children,” officials say on the school website. “Children are often frustrated by being asked to do work that they are not ready for or being held back by arbitrary limits determined by age.”
Executive Director Kathryn Tydlacka could not be reached for comment by press-time Thursday.
Previously a teacher at Naalehu Elementary, Tydlacka earned praise for her innovative teaching methods, which helped her young charges in one instance to more than double the average proficiency levels achieved by the rest of the school.
Enrollment also includes 20-30 home-schooled students who use the campus on a staggered schedule. The school employs five teachers, two education aids and an administrative staff of four.
The school won a special permit for 3.69 acres in the state land use agricultural district in 2015. A new classroom is one of the improvements needed to increase classroom enrollment, Darrow said.
The academy plans to use the clubhouse for only three years. After that, the school plans to move to Lehua Court plaza in Ocean View.
The school has had a few growing pains.
Last summer, the state Public Charter School Commission issued a deficiency notice to KLA.
Two employees briefly lost health care coverage last school year because staff either missed deadlines or improperly processed payroll and employee benefits. The school also did not properly pay or withhold union dues and struggled to submit monthly financial reports on time.
The deficiency was resolved in August.
