Kamehameha Schools seeks 3 principals after departures

Kamehameha Schools’ flagship Kapalama campus is relying on interim principals at its elementary, middle and high schools as the academic year begins, following an exodus of leaders last semester.

Taran Chun, a 1995 alumnus who became “po‘o kula” or “head of school” at the Kapalama campus in June 2017, stressed that the interim principals are all strong, proven leaders who will not just “keep the seats warm.”

The departures of three principals came late in the school year, past the window for hiring school leaders, which generally runs from October to March. Chun declined to discuss the reasons, as personnel matters. He said Carney, Sandoe & Associates, which specializes in educational staffing, “will help us recruit outstanding leaders.”

“I can understand why there’s great interest — to see three principals leave from one school system will draw attention,” Chun said in an interview. “I first want to say that I have deep respect and aloha for each of these principals, having worked with them. I felt their commitment to education and their love for our keiki.”

Those departing included high school principal Sheena Alaiasa, who had come from Castle High in June 2015 and was the first Hawaii principal named National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Chun informed the school community in a March 29 letter that Alaiasa would be leaving April 2 and “relocating to Utah to focus on the health and well-being of her entire ohana.”

Also exiting at the end of the school year were Puanani Mills Ka‘ai, middle school principal for more than 10 years, and Ronnie Kopp, who had led the elementary school since 2012 and retired June 15.

Nearly 3,300 students attend the highly selective, 600-acre campus overlooking Honolulu. Chun said the students are doing well but there is room for growth academically, and the school needs to keep improving to fulfill the charge of its benefactor, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, “to see the Hawaiian people thrive again.”

“Our leaders today, from our trustees to our CEO, have created a vision that within one generation, by 2040, we are going to see and realize that thriving lahui (Native Hawaiian people),” Chun said. “That’s going to take a lot of work.”

“In order to realize that lofty vision, change is going to be a part of that, because there’s an urgency to this work,” he said. “Kids’ lives are literally at stake. We know that education can be that ladder for them to reach their dreams and we can’t delay doing this work.”

The interim principals, who may apply for the permanent slots, are:

>> High school: Debbie Lindsey, who had been assistant head of school at KS Kapalama and a former teacher, principal and curriculum specialist at public and private schools.

>> Middle school: Kula Gaughen-Haili, who had been vice principal of Kapalama’s elementary school and an interim principal at KS Maui and worked at Olomana School for many years.

>> Elementary school: Deede Santiago, summer school principal for the past 15 years at Kapalama and an instructional evaluator.

Kamehameha’s sister school on Hawaii island also installed new leaders this summer. Kau‘ulu Gapero became elementary school principal while Tehani Day was named middle school principal after a year as interim leader.

And there was a shift at the executive level of the $11.5 billion trust. Veteran administrator Holoua Stender stepped down Jan. 29 as vice president for education, retiring midway through the school year. CEO Jack Wong appointed a temporary replacement but later decided to eliminate the position he had created in 2015 when he appointed Stender.

The heads of school for Kamehameha’s Kapalama, Maui and Hawaii campuses now report directly to the CEO as part of an executive team, as do vice presidents overseeing areas such as administration and finance. The new structure underscores that “our keiki come first,” Wong said in an interview.

“To have our headmasters at the table with our executive leadership team is a really important part of how we integrate as one organization,” Wong said. “It’s a constant affirmation that we are an educational organization … We should have our educational leaders helping make enterprise-wide decisions.”

The administrative turnover at Kapalama has stirred some concern among parents, staff and alumni. Chun said the “reactions have ranged from uncertainty to excitement at the new opportunities ahead of us — and all the feelings in between.”

Brendon Kalei‘aina Lee, president of the Oahu region of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, called the situation “an unfortunate circumstance of timing” and added, “there is a lot of misinformation going around.”

“I can tell you that a lot of the alumni are concerned,” Lee said. “I would say that a lot of their concern is based on not understanding the hiring process for positions of that type. Giving the timing of the departures from Kamehameha Schools, it was too late to really find anybody.”

Overall, Lee said he appreciates that Chun and other leaders have clarified that Hawaiian culture-based education at Kamehameha, which roots the kids in their heritage and identity, also aims to “give them a more global perspective, which is what you need in the 21st century.”

“Taking keiki out to the loi, they understand the dynamics of water movement, the square footage of the loi, what you need to produce X amount of kalo,” Lee said. “They’re learning math; they’re learning engineering; they’re learning culture.”

“So far I’ve been very happy with what Taran’s done,” he said. “It seems like the school is moving in a positive direction. Time will tell.”

Wong acknowledged that change can be uncomfortable but stressed that the goal is “trying to ensure every Native Hawaiian succeeds in education.”

“As we transform our organization, I think our staff clearly understands where we are going,” said the CEO. “We are constantly working on the journey and how we get there.

“Our keiki and our families, they expect and they deserve the best,” he said. “And we have to meet that challenge. And sometimes we have to do things that are difficult, sometimes we do things that are hard. But I know our families expect that from us.”