HONOLULU — Seagull Schools’ Early Education Center, the largest preschool in Honolulu, will remain on the Frank F. Fasi Civic Center grounds through the end of the 2022-23 school year before locating to a new, temporary location, thanks to a new agreement between the school and the city.

What You Need To Know

  • The Early Education Center facility is owned by the state and operated by Seagull Schools

  • It is located above the underground Civic Center Municipal Parking structure, which is in need of repair due to water seepage and the resulting damage to its concrete structure

  • The city initially informed the school in February that its lease of the property would not be renewed, effective August 2022

  • According to the plan, some city personnel will relocate their offices near the campus to the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, Honolulu Mission Memorial Building and Municipal Reference Center

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and Seagull Schools President and CEO Megan McCorriston made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference at the school.

The Early Education Center facility is owned by the state and operated by Seagull Schools. Originally established in 1986 for children of city employees, it is located above the underground Civic Center Municipal Parking structure, which is in need of repair due to water seepage and the resulting damage to its concrete structure. The school will be demolished as part of the repair and renovation of the garage, then rebuilt anew once the area is secure.

The city initially informed the school in February that its lease on the property would not be renewed, effective August 2022. That date was later extended to February 2023, to allow parents more time to find another preschool.

However, ongoing dialogue between Seagull Schools administrators and city Managing Director Mike Formby has resulted in a plan that assures the school will survive in the near term and potentially expand over the next few years.

“It’s not a small endeavor and not so easily planned,” Blangiardi said. “Through a lot of iterations of trying to discover how we can do this, from an engineering standpoint, and even more importantly, what happens to the kids and teachers, but we’ve worked it out.”

According tot he plan, some city personnel will relocate their offices near the campus to the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, Honolulu Mission Memorial Building and Municipal Reference Center. This will allow the school to move out of its current location above the garage while remaining in the area for the coming school year.

In the interim school year, school officials and the city will look for an alternative location to house the school for the estimated two-and-a-half years it will take to repair the garage and build a new school on its old site. 

“Families wanted assurances that those who enroll in our school next year will be able to finish out the school year without any interruptions,” McCorriston said. 

The school has a current enrollment of 220 students, roughly 30% of whom are children of city employees and an extensive waiting list.

McCorriston said enrollment could be expanded by as much as 100 students if its new, temporary location can accommodate additional classrooms. 

Blangiardi said that despite the deterioration of the concrete membrane separating the parking structure from the grassy field above, there is no imminent threat of collapse while the school remains at its current site. 

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.