WAILUKU >> The Lahainaluna High School boarding program that began 179 years ago will continue next school year, despite declining enrollments and reductions in programs and funding in recent years, according to a state Department of Education official.

“There has not been any official discussion of the discontinuation of boarding at Lahainaluna,” said department spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz in an email Monday.

The department has included $589,520 and 11 permanent positions for the program in its fiscal year budget, which is currently under review by the state Legislature. A firm budget will not be available until after the legislative session is completed in early May, officials said.

Meanwhile, school staff, students, supporters and local politicians formed a working group in October and continue to meet monthly to figure out ways to evolve the boarding program that started in 1836 and to show that students who board at school still are learning relevant skills in the work-study program.

“We’ve been working on developing a vision, mission and purpose (for the program),” said Lynn Kaho’ohalahala, chairwoman of the Lahainaluna Boarding Department Working Group and Lahainaluna vice principal. “Education is always evolving, so the Board of Education has asked us particular questions to help us define who the boarding program is and what the students are getting out of it, (such as) educational relevance, sustainability of the program.”

The 13-member group last met March 9 and is still working on solidifying the program’s mission statement and “defining who the boarding program is,” Kaho’ohalahala said.

In its heyday, boarders would work on fruit and vegetable farms and in dairy, piggery and poultry operations on campus. But over the years, health and safety concerns, regulations and other obstacles shut down those programs, The Maui News (http://bit.ly/1BA0Hix ) reported.

“It came up as an agricultural program, so a lot of students came from Hana, and then (would go) on to continue as farmers or landscapers in the agricultural field,” said Craig Murakami, the working group’s vice chairman and a former Lahainaluna boarder. “Now, without these programs, it’s hard to prove what the educational relevance is.”

About 60 students currently board at Lahainaluna High School — about half the number of students enrolled three decades ago. In order to offset the cost of their housing, students do mostly landscaping or maintenance work around campus, Murakami said.

But members of the boarding group are working on developing other programs for the students, possibly partnering with local businesses in West Maui. Students would be able to learn how a business operates, practice job interviewing and even volunteer part time.

Murakami, who boarded at Lahainaluna in the late 1960s and early ’70s, has been vocal about reviving and sustaining the program.

“It’s still important today because of the experience,” Murakami said. “It’s the only place where you have to live together, learn to work together, learn to support each other. You’re responsible for yourself, your time management. A lot of people don’t get that experience before they go to college or military, and it’s a major surprise for them. When these students (boarders) graduate, they’re ready for life.”

Lahainaluna is the only public school in the state with a boarding program.

The working group has set a preliminary June deadline to submit a proposal to Complex Area Superintendent Lindsay Ball, Dela Cruz said. The group also is tasked with establishing a vision and mission statement that identifies a purpose with educational relevance for the program.

Ball, who oversees public schools in Lahaina, Hana, Lanai and Molokai, said that the working group is still “in the process of working this through.”

“There’s been some great dialogue, the students have offered some great questions and feedback. Now, we haven’t started drafting the proposal, which we will start doing soon,” Ball said.

He said there “might be some impacts” or changes to the current boarding program if and when the working group’s proposal is approved by the Board of Education.

The working group next meets from 6 to 8 p.m. April 13 in the Lahainaluna Library. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit lhsboardingworkgroup.weebly.com or email lhsboardingworkgroup@gmail.com.