The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences (VSAS) has been awarded $12 million in state Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds to construct its new Keakealani Campus on Haunani Rd. In Volcano Village. The school currently serves 216PreK-8th grade students, hailing mostly from Puna, Ka'ū, and South Hilo. Thisfunding was made possible with the tireless support of RepresentativeRichard Onishi. “VSAS is doing terrific work, and I am very happy to support the school,” he said. “I’m thrilled that our children from Volcano and from all of East Hawaii will have the opportunity to attend a public charter school that is doing such good work.” He added, “We realize that not all charter schools are able to access state CIP funds, so we are especially fortunate that VSAS is on Department of Education land and the legislature was able to support the school in this way.”
As you know, this new campus is critical for the school's sustainability and growth so that it can continue to provide a quality, place-based educational program for students. VSAS Principal Kalima Kinney said, “We are immensely grateful to Rep. Onishi for making this possible. His dedication and service to the people he represents make us so proud to be in his district! We cannot thank him enough for responding to this critical need and for carrying out the esteemed late Sen. Gil Kaheleʻs vision to see this project completed. We would also like to thank both Rep. Onishi and Sen. Russell Ruderman for their long-standing support for our school and community.”
The Friends of The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, a non-profit dedicated tosupporting the growth and sustainment of VSAS and the communities it serves, is responsible for overseeing construction and fundraising for the campus. To become a member or apply to become a director of Friends of VSAS, notify Ian Cole at friends@volcanoschool.netor Jeffrey Mermel at jeffrey.volcano@gmail.com, or leave a message at VSAS 808-985-9800.