Ige proposes state-run preschool

Gov. David Ige announced two of the boldest initiatives of his administration Tuesday by proposing to restructure as much as half of the state’s public elementary schools to accommodate state-funded preschools, and to lease out state lands for condominium developments.

Ige’s preschool proposal, which was included in the State of the State address he delivered Tuesday at the Capitol, would move sixth-­graders into middle schools at some schools, freeing up space in elementary schools for preschool classes.

“First and foremost, we must create a universal, statewide, high-quality public preschool system that will give every child in Hawaii a head start on learning,” Ige said. “Ultimately, we will need more than 300 public pre-K classrooms. Clearly, this is a long-term goal. But we don’t have to wait until we have funding for all of it.”

House lawmakers praised Ige’s speech and said they support the idea of universal preschool but have reservations about the cost. House Democratic Majority Leader Della Au Belatti said Ige’s preschool plan would eventually cost the state an extra $51 million a year for operations and require another $500 million for additional classroom construction.

When asked about those concerns, state schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto replied that “answers to tough questions is what the Legislature is here for, and so I am looking forward to how they talk about a long-term solution to this.”

“There is national and very long-term research that says pre-K access matters in closing the achievement gap” between students from low-income families and students from higher-income families, Kishimoto said. “We have a huge achievement gap in this state.”

Ige told reporters after his speech that “obviously, it’s a decades-long process, but if we don’t have a goal and we don’t have a vision, then we’ll never get there.”

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Top news stories of 2018

The year that was 2018 might best be known in Hawaii for its explosions — the ones that did happen and the big one that didn’t.

Kilauea blew its top repeatedly this summer, blasting ash into the air and sending molten lava bursting from 24 vents in Lower Puna, disrupting thousands of lives, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of property and transforming the landscape over a dramatic four-month display of nature’s power.

The one that didn’t happen: the false missile alert. Whew!

Here are Hawaii’s top five news stories of 2018:

1. KILAUEA’S HISTORIC ERUPTION

2. FALSE MISSILE ALERT

3. RECORD FLOODING, ACTIVE STORMS

4. HOTEL WORKERS TAKE TO PICKETING

5. ASSISTED-DEATH BILL GETS APPROVAL

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The Star-Advertiser’s top 10 stories online in 2018

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2018 - the year in review

A.P. Top 10 news stories of 2018

Dave Barry year in review