A couple of days ago, I announced the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) I worked on that made it into the Hawaii State budget bill. Waikele Elementary School and Honowai Elementary School are two of the three schools in his district that got CIP appropriations. To meet the community's growing needs, Waikele Elementary School wants an extended parking lot where parents can safely pick up and dropp off their kids. Honowai Elementary School has been waiting for fiteen years to get their library air-conditioned. The dust has been a threat to books and materials and the heat has affected learning in the facility.
Yesterday, KGMB 9 News covered my announcement regarding Honowai Elementary School's concerns. The media mentioned that Honowai Elementary School's CIP for air-conditioning was not on the Department of Education's (DOE) priority list and that the Governor hinted she may line-item veto projects not on the list. However, members of the schools stressed the importance of having air-conditioning to protect books and give students a better learning environment due to the hot nature of the Waipahu-Ewa plains.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 