HONOLULU -- KITV 4 News has learned that the Kamehameha Schools are considering lowering admission standards to reach a more diverse population of Native Hawaiian students.

Video

VIDEO REPORT

School officials said no decisions have been made, but they've begun asking parents, teachers and alumni what they think about the issue.

This issue may create a greater stir than the departure of schools Chief Executive Officer Hamilton McCubbin. (Read full story)

A group of concerned parents passed out a flier at Kamehemeha's May Day ceremonies last week, asking parents to attend an urgent meeting on the topic.

Right now, Kamehameha Schools has selective admissions based on academics and interviews from kindergarten to 12th grade. One option being considered is to start random selection of students from grades K to 6th grade as the schools did in the late 1970s through the 1980s.

Another option is increasing the current 15 percent quota of orphans and poor students on government assistance.

At his departure news conference Monday, McCubbin said there aren't any formal options on the table.

"We're gathering information, or the staff is gathering information, so the trustees can make an informed choice. There are no decisions made at this point," McCubbin said Monday.

(Do You Agree With Possible Change?)

Last week, McCubbin and his staff met with about 150 teachers from the Kapalama campus. They broke into groups of 20 people and were asked whether their student population should be more "diverse" and have a higher number of indigent children. However, they were not asked direct questions about whether academic standards should be lowered to achieve more diversity.

McCubbin has also met with alumni and parents on the issue and said many of them believe that Native Hawaiians should have access to top-rated academics at Kamehameha.

"And that we should not do anything to have any adverse impact on that program. And now as I depart, I couldn't agree more, but I'm biased. I'm a graduate of the Kapalama campus and take great pride in the commitment of the campuses to college preparation and the successful leaders they've created," McCubbin said.

McCubbin refused to say he opposed relaxing admissions requirements.

"As an alumni, I love what we do. I think Mike Chun (Kapalama principal) has done a spectacular job and the programs are right on target. I'd be hesitant, but I would await for all the data to come in," McCubbin said.

A Kamehameha spokesman said no specific admission changes are on the table yet. He also said while the trustees were originally supposed to hear recommendations from staff by the end of June that may be delayed with McCubbin's departure.

School officials said they're just asking parents, alumni and faculty who the school should serve and looking at reaching out to a broader range of Native Hawaiian students.

Kamehameha students and alumni KITV 4 News spoke with were mixed about the idea of changing the admissions policy.

"They should at least have some kind of testings to gauge the kids' academic skills so that they don't just let anybody in here and they make our school a circus," 5th-grader Christian Chun Fat said.

"And now they're trying to open up the doors to those kids who might not be the very best, but have the potential to become the very best. That's a positive step in the right direction for education at Kamehameha," parent Alan Awana said.

"This is a private school, not a public school, and I think we should keep the testing. So we could get the people with the higher GPA instead of the lower GPA," 5th-grader Kamanu Kaluhiokalani said.

"I think that poor people and orphans should get a chance and come into our school so that they can learn more about what we learn about, like Hawaiian studies and things," 6th-grader Savannah Wolfe said.