Future of a Kauai school serving Niihau families uncertain amid legal battle

News admin July 24, 2026 0 Comments

Future of a Kauai school serving Niihau families uncertain amid legal battle

LĪHUʻE (HawaiiNewsNow) – A legal battle is threatening the future of a West Kauai school that teaches young children the critically endangered Niʻihau dialect of ‘Olelo Hawaiʻi.

Just weeks before the new school year was set to begin, members of Kekaha’s Kula Aupuni Niʻihau A Kahelelani Aloha (KANAKA) New Century Charter School found themselves in a Līhuʻe courtroom Wednesday. Supporters of all ages packed the hallway outside.

KANAKA PCS, as they’re known, is fighting to stay open after they were slapped with a sudden rent increase, and conditions they say violated their lease.

“I think the Niʻihau language is a very important part of Hawaiʻi itself. And its preservation is paramount,” KANAKA PCS attorney Carter Siu said.

A lawsuit recently filed said KANAKA PCS was in a 15-year lease with the nonprofit Kanaka Aupuni A Niʻihau, or KAANA, led by Katherine Tandal and Steven Sullivan. Monthly rent was nearly $5,800 and open to negotiation every five years.

But in June, records show the school’s invoice spiked to nearly $16,000 a month. A month later, it was almost $17,500.

Then came a letter stating the KAANA board decided to terminate the school’s lease, or they would be charged $20,000 monthly.

The school argues all of this happened without negotiation.

“It cannot be understated that these unilateral actions taken by KAANA put the school’s existence in jeopardy,” Siu said during the hearing.

One Niʻihau native who went to the school and now has children attending was saddened to hear of the conflict.

“For us as Niʻihau, we like perpetuate the ‘Olelo Hawaiʻi, and you know, learn English as well, but you know, we like continue our Niʻihau dialect,” Blossom Kanahele said.

Alleged actions by the landlord to make the school inoperable also caught the attention of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which is in support of school leaders.

“So my understanding is that the water was cut off, that the electricity was cut off, and so they were trying to take everything out because they were facing an eviction notice,” HSTA President Osa Tui said.

Kanahele added, “Just seeing that my kids [are] not gonna have a school, because they go there too, it’s really disappointing.”

Hawaii News Now spoke with the landlord’s attorney, who said KAANA leaders had to make the tough but necessary decision.

“The nonprofit is now in a very deep financial crisis because their grant from another Native Hawaiian non-profit was canceled in February. The continued litigation is going to show the role the plaintiffs played in that cancellation, and their own role regarding compliance with the lease terms,” said Defense Attorney Rosa Flores.

She added that without the grant, her clients were unable to pay the property’s mortgage.

The plaintiffs, however, argue these changes will shutter the school for good.

While the matter plays out in court, supporters of the school say what’s most heartbreaking is that the children are caught in the middle.

“To have our keiki in the middle of all of this is really what the tragedy is,” Tui said. “They are the ones who, it’s not good for them. And we wanna make sure that they get the best education they can.”

School supporter Sabra Kauka shared a message for those involved: “Please share your aloha for these children, for the people of Niʻihau, these students.”

The judge granted a TRO Wednesday that halts the rent increases and blocks the school’s closure, for now. The next hearing in the case is set for Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. in Līhuʻe.