School Facilities Authority outlines preschool hubs, prefabrication and workforce housing pilots

Ricky Fujitani, executive director of the School Facilities Authority (SFA), told the House Committee on Education on Jan. 13 that the authority is pursuing a programmatic approach to accelerate school construction and preschool capacity across Hawaii.

Fujitani summarized a three‑lane agenda for the authority: expand and standardize preschool classrooms as “hubs,” deliver a programmatic build for Central Maui schools and develop workforce housing for educators. He described SFA as a startup agency created by the Legislature in 2020 and said the authority had used prequalified vendors and standards to renovate preschool classrooms quickly and at lower cost than previous approaches.

Fujitani said SFA’s preschool pilot renovated classrooms in seven months at an estimated $321,000 per classroom and that subsequent scaling produced further efficiencies. To reach universal pre‑K capacity for approximately 8,000 underserved children, Fujitani said the state would likely need roughly 400 classrooms (about 20 students each), which SFA plans to deliver through multiple 4–8 classroom “hubs.” He said early hub openings could begin in about two years.

On construction methods, the authority favors prefabricated and panelized construction to speed delivery and improve consistency. Fujitani pointed to existing prefabrication examples in Hawaii, including panelized classrooms already at University Lab School and a prefabricated hospital built in Kona. He estimated prefabricated classrooms might cost about $750 per square foot for basic classroom modules and said the authority would use a mix of prefabrication, mass timber and traditional construction depending on site and needs.

SFA’s budget framing: the authority oversees roughly $389 million in appropriations but said only $106 million had been released to date (with $81 million for preschools, $20 million for Central Maui and $5 million for workforce housing). Fujitani said much of the workforce housing appropriation was redirected after the Maui fires, leaving $5 million for early-phase work; he named Mililani High School as the pilot site and said a local developer had been selected.

On procurement, SFA appointed prequalified contracting pools (a multiple award task order approach) and said it would use “best value” selection rather than lowest‑price‑technically‑acceptable for quality and predictability. SFA also described plans to prequalify A/B general contractors statewide before funding arrives to save time in award and mobilization.

Committee members asked about governance, affordability of workforce housing (SFA said affordability targets were specified in procurement and development contracts and the Mililani RFP included a mix of affordability levels), and how SFA will manage permitting and finance risks for projects dependent on LIHTC, HUD and other subsidies. Fujitani said financing contingencies and private bond options will be part of developer proposals and that some projects will need subsidy blends to meet affordability objectives.

The authority said it intends to continue monthly coordination with the Department of Education’s facilities staff and other stakeholders as it advances hubs, Central Maui planning and the workforce housing pilot.