Question: I am perplexed as to why private donations and GoFundMe contributions are being sought to repair the recently fire-damaged facilities at Kahului Elementary School. Aren’t these facilities insured by the state and isn’t it the state’s responsibility to repair said facilities?
Answer: Yes, it’s the state Department of Education’s job to rebuild the school, but private donations are welcome to replace students’ supplies and other miscellaneous items lost in the Nov. 24 fire, which caused an estimated $900,000 in damage to the school’s structures and $300,000 to its contents. An arson investigation is pending.
The GoFundMe campaign, called the Kahului School Fire Relief Fund, was created Nov. 25 by the president of the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association. It had raised $6,205 of its $100,000 goal as of noon Thursday. Tax-deductible monetary donations may be mailed to Kahului School PTSA, c/o Kahului Elementary, 410 Hina Ave., Kahului, HI 96732 or made online at gofundme.com/welove-KES.
“The community rallied around the school quickly following the fire. This GoFundMe account was solely the effort of these parents. The group did approach the principal to check if there were any issues, which there are not. The principal and department are grateful for the community’s support,” said Donalyn Dela Cruz, communications director for the state Department of Education. “The department’s Facility Branch is working on repairing and/or replacing damaged fixtures and buildings. Any new construction will take time and allocated funds, which the department will handle once a full assessment is made.”
On Wednesday, the company School Kine Cookies kicked off a fundraiser for the school, pledging to donate $3,500 itself and encouraging financial contributions from others.
“Kahului Elementary has been a loyal partner of School Kine Cookies for years, selling our product during their annual fall fundraiser,” company president Steve Gold said in a news release. “Through the years they have become our friends, like so many of our customers, and our hearts broke when we learned of their terrible misfortune.”
Donations payable to Kahului Elementary PTSA may be mailed c/o School Kine Cookies, 96-1173 Waihona St., Unit B3, Pearl City, HI 96782.
School officials have asked people not to drop off material donations, such as school supplies, because the fire-ravaged campus is short on space. Financial donations to the PTSA can be used to buy needed supplies after the immediate problem of reallocating classroom space is resolved.
Six classrooms were heavily damaged and the school’s water lines were affected. Classes have been canceled all this week, but faculty and staff have been reporting to work.
The school is scheduled to reopen Monday for its more than 960 students in preschool through grade 5.
Q: Have they said how the fire started?
A: No, not as of Thursday morning. Anyone who has information about how the fire started is urged to call Maui police or, if they prefer to be anonymous, Maui CrimeStoppers, which can be reached at 242-6966. The nonprofit organization pays cash rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and indictments in felony crimes.
Kahului Elementary, which also was damaged by fire in April 2010, does not have security cameras, the Maui News reported.
No one was hurt in the blaze, which started about 9:30 p.m. and involved separate areas of the campus, suggesting that it was deliberately set.
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