WAILUKU - Five Keanae residents launched a campaign this week to stop the state Department of Education from permanently closing the one-room schoolhouse in their remote East Maui community, The Maui news reported today.

It's not the first time that Keanae grandmothers Aileen Lee and Janet Redo have publicly protested the school closing, and they vowed not to stop as they took their case up with Complex Area Superintendent Lindsay Ball on Monday.

Technically, Keanae School remains open and is administratively attached to Hana High and Elementary School. But students have not attended classes in Keanae since late 2005 when only three students were enrolled at the school. Since then, Keanae students have made the 16-mile, one-way trek to Hana School.

According to Hana School Principal Rick Paul, the December 2008 enrollment figures show eight students from Keanae attend classes at Hana School in kindergarten to 2nd grade. He said many of the students have indicated they want to continue attending school in Hana.

But the Keanae residents who met with Ball on Monday said they want their children and grandchildren back in Keanae to attend classes in the community's one-room schoolhouse.

Keanae parent Constance Okazaki said she'd prefer to have her one kindergartner, and one 4th-grade child attending school in Keanae. She said she has another child who will be eligible for kindergarten in the fall and could go to Keanae School, too.

Parent Wesley Ah Koi said he has a child who attends kindergarten at Hana School, but he would like his child to attend school near home in Keanae.

Redo said the 16-mile Hana Highway route from Keanae to Hana is a difficult bus ride of at least 45 minutes on a narrow, winding road. Heavy rainfall and other road hazards often involve sudden stops and starts, she said.

"It's dangerous. Very, very dangerous," Redo said.

Ohia-Lehua Crozier, an aunt to Okazaki's children, said that children in Keanae wake up as early as 5:30 a.m. to catch a bus to Hana at 6:30 a.m. They don't return home until about 4 p.m.

"That's an 11-hour day. They're just spending too much time away, and they're very tired when they get home," she said.

Redo said one of her youngest granddaughters has missed the bus at least seven times a month this school year because of her inability to get up at such an early hour. Her mother has had to either drive her to Hana in a car or she misses classes for the day.

Paul said he empathizes with residents' concerns about the bus ride from Keanae to Hana and back. "I can see how that would be a concern," he said.

However, he said the costs of reopening classes at Keanae School are much too high. Aside from a teacher, Hana School would have to provide daily lunches as well as janitorial service for Keanae.

"If they had 100 elementary kids, we would consider it," Paul said.

Keanae residents who met with Ball on Monday said they believe they could get at least 10 children, if not more, to attend Keanae School if it were reopened.

Ball said he assured the Keanae residents that no decision had been made about a permanent Keanae School closure. He said he encouraged them to make their case against the school's closure during a yet-to-be-scheduled task force meeting.

At that meeting, all the issues relating to closing the school will be hashed out, Ball said. The task force will be charged with making a recommendation on the school's fate to the state Board of Education, which makes the final decision.

A similar task force has also been created to study the closure of Maunaloa Elementary School on Molokai. In that situation, students would be transferred to Kaunakakai Elementary School.

Ball said that both task forces have yet to hold public meetings, but when they do he hopes residents in the affected communities will come and provide input.

"It's supposed to be fact-finding. We'll have to follow the process," he said.

On Friday, the state Board of Education voted unanimously to follow a separate task force recommendation and close Wailupe Valley Elementary School on Oahu. It will be consolidated with Aina Haina Elementary School beginning in the fall.

Students who attended classes at Keanae School were transferred to Hana School in 2005, after Keanae School had been operating continuously since the early 1900s. The move was made over the strong objections of Keanae residents.

There have been several occasions in the school's history when Department of Education officials considered closing the campus, but they backed down after community protests.

Administrative rules on school consolidations have been in place for at least 20 years, but very rarely have the rules been implemented by Hawaii's education officials.

Declining state revenues and a call from Gov. Linda Lingle to reduce government agency budgets late last year prompted public education leaders to review all options, including shutting down small schools and moving their students to nearby campuses.

Under Chapter 38, the Hawaii Department of Education administrative rules that address consolidation of schools, there are three conditions that trigger a study on consolidation. Those exist when:

* One third or more of the square footage in the existing facilities requires replacement or improvements to meet prescribed standards.

* One third or more of the available classrooms is unused for classroom space or other programs at the school.

* Enrollment decline and staff reductions have or will reduce the capability of the school to provide the range of educational opportunities offered at adjoining schools with larger enrollments. But the adjoining schools must be able to accept increased enrollment without substantial spending for additional facilities.

Paul said all three conditions apply to Keanae School.

Ball said that Maunaloa Elementary has major repair and maintenance issues that need to be addressed.

Ball said he could not say when the task force for each of the school consolidations would meet, but he suspected the process would start soon now that a decision on Wailupe Valley Elementary has been made.

* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.