The New Central Maui School team is committed to a collaborative, transparent approach that brings together educators, cultural practitioners, designers, and the community. Through shared learning, listening, and thoughtful decision-making, the team is working to create a school that reflects Hawaiʻi’s values and invests in the success of future generations.
SFA was one of four winners in the 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools, sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board and the USDA Forest Service. This year, the annual competition awarded $1.8 million to support projects that accelerate the adoption of mass timber in the United States, with a focus on K-12 educational environments. SFA was awarded $382,500 to help implement mass timber solutions in the New Central Maui School Project.
Mahalo to everyone who attended and participated in our two Open House events in September. A broad cross-section of our community, with various interests, questions, concerns, and suggestions, contributed to a great experience and many takeaways for our team. These have been reviewed and synthesized, and you can find a more detailed breakdown in the FAQ of our Website! This feedback helps inform next steps, refine priorities, and ensure community voices continue to shape the direction of the NCMS project.
A Cultural Working Group has been formed to provide guidance grounded in place-based knowledge, ‘ike kūpuna, and lived experience. This group helps ensure cultural values and philosophies, history, and relationship to ʻāina are meaningfully reflected throughout planning, design, and implementation. The NCMS design team is deeply grateful for those kumu and cultural experts who share their time and ʻike to benefit this project and the community.
(picture credit: Maui Historical Society)
Part of the multi-year entitlement process for our project is the completion of an Environmental Assessment, currently being initiated by the team and all the relevant consultants and subject matter experts. While our project is within the master-planned Waikapu Country Town (WCT) project, which already has an accepted EIS, this EA specifically for our project will further help us develop the best possible campus for our community while minimizing and mitigating any concerns.
As part of early planning phases related to design, a geotechnical survey will be conducted to better understand site conditions. This work helps inform safe, responsible design and construction while minimizing unforeseen impacts as the project moves forward.
The NCMS team, following best practices and the advice of our Cultural Working Group, has committed to stringent Archaeological Monitoring during all ground-distubance work. This ensures a higher level of protection for cultural resources than required by the State and that any findings are handled appropriately.
Open communication remains a priority. We want to continually encourage our community to stay involved, informed, ask questions, and share your thoughts as the project progresses. Your mana‘o helps guide decisions, point out additional viewpoints, and strengthens a school rooted in place, culture, and community.