After the Maui wildfires displaced over 1,000 students and 100 Department of Education employees, state and school leaders are searching for solutions to help Lahaina schools recover and protect other Hawaii schools from future disasters.

But budget restraints and unfunded legislative priorities may make it more difficult for DOE to complete the repairs and updates needed to keep students safe while on campus.

After DOE faced more than $40 million in a budget shortfall last year, the department requested roughly $198 million in supplemental funds for the upcoming 2025 fiscal year. The governor’s proposed budget, released last month, fell short of the department’s request by over $86 million.

The $86 million included $10 million that would go toward fixing schools’ fire alarm systems. At a recent Board of Education meeting, deputy superintendent Curt Otaguro estimated that 13 schools have broken alarm systems.

The department has long struggled to maintain its fire alarm systems, with some schools waiting several years for repairs.

“I think we, as a body, need to fight for repair and maintenance items,” Rep. Scot Matayoshi said during a House meeting Wednesday. He added that DOE needs to communicate its facilities needs to the Legislature in a timely manner.

Rep. Lisa Marten also raised concerns around the upkeep of public schools, pointing out that many of them have unmanaged land filled with flammable grass and vegetation bordering school buildings and facilities. DOE oversees roughly 21 million square feet of land across the state.

When asked if DOE has any plans to clear the land, Otaguro said the department originally requested $25 million to address the impacts of the Maui fires on schools that could have supported fire prevention efforts and other initiatives.

But, he said, the requested funds were not included in the governor’s budget, although the state plans to create a larger fund dedicated to wildfire recovery. The department will work with the Department of Budget and Finance to see what funds could support the upkeep and clearing of DOE lands creating potential fire hazards, Otaguro added.

In Maui, roughly 1,000 fewer students are attending Lahaina schools compared to enrollment projections from early August. Deputy superintendent Tammi Oyadomari-Chun estimated that roughly 2,100 students are currently enrolled at the three Lahaina campuses that reopened in October.

But DOE expects more students to return in the spring once the department can open a temporary campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary, which was destroyed in the Aug. 8 fire. Right now, students formerly enrolled at King Kamehameha III Elementary are attending Princess Nahienaena Elementary’s campus in Lahaina.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to complete construction on the campus, located in the Pulelehua development near the Kapalua Airport, by late February, Chun said. DOE and King Kamehameha III staff members will have roughly a month to furnish and set up the classrooms before students begin attending class on the campus in early April.

But families may also choose not to return to Lahaina schools for a variety of reasons, Chun acknowledged. Nearly 8,000 students participated in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary shelter program after the fires, Chun said, adding that some families may have moved out of Lahaina and enrolled their children in other Hawaii schools or left the state altogether.

Although families have expressed concerns around the environmental safety of the Lahaina campuses, especially as the removal of debris from the nearby burn zone begins, DOE has repeatedly emphasized that schools are safe at this time.

So far, Chun said, monitors on the Lahaina campuses have reported good air quality around the schools. Some monitors have occasionally changed to report moderate air quality, Chun added, but follow-up investigations showed that the monitors had been disturbed by dust from nearby construction or lawnmowers.

“The situation in Lahaina continues to be challenging, but our people are resilient,” Chun said.

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.