The University of Hawaiʻi and the University Laboratory School have locked in a facilities use and occupancy agreement that gives the K to 12 campus a three-year runway on its current site, with a mutual option to stretch the deal another five years. The initial term runs through June 30, 2029, and, if both sides agree, can be extended through June 30, 2034. Under the arrangement, the lab school takes on routine building upkeep and capital repairs, while UH continues to provide land and buildings without standard rental fees. Leaders are pitching the deal as a way to keep the school on stable ground while it heads into its next charter renewal and program planning cycles.
In a press release via UH News, the university detailed a phased cost-recovery schedule: 50% in year one, 75% in year two and 100% in year three. The release explains that the University Laboratory School will also shoulder direct operating expenses such as utilities, internet and custodial services. According to the same release, ULS will be responsible for day-to-day maintenance and capital repairs, while UH continues to provide the land and buildings. University officials said the agreement came out of collaborative talks that involved Principal A. Keoni Jeremiah, his leadership team and the school’s governing board. UH President Wendy Hensel is quoted in the release saying the lab school "has been an integral part of the University of Hawaiʻi since 1931, serving as both a laboratory for educational innovation and an important member of our university community."
A long, changing partnership
The lab school and UH have been tied together for generations, but the terms have shifted more than once. The school operated as a UH program within the Mānoa College of Education until 2001, then converted to a public charter school on August 16, 2001. It later entered an affiliation agreement with the college in 2010, according to University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents materials. That record notes that the university and the school have been working on updated facility terms for months as campus planning and redevelopment continue on the Mānoa parcel.
How costs and upkeep will change
Under the new agreement, the lab school will phase in its cost-recovery payments while picking up the tab for utilities and custodial services and handling day-to-day building care. UH keeps responsibility for the land and the broader campus footprint and does not charge standard rent for those facilities. Because the payments rise over three years, administrators describe the schedule as a transition period designed to give ULS space to align its budget and fundraising before covering the full operating costs. The mutual option to extend the deal through 2034 gives both sides a built-in moment to talk about longer-range plans for facilities and academic programming.
What comes next for students and faculty
Leaders at both the college and the school say they expect to deepen academic collaboration under a separate agreement, using the three-year window to map out joint programs, student-teacher placements and shared research projects. Community members, alumni and parents are likely to keep an eye on whether the phased payments shift programming or fundraising priorities, although officials stress that the structure is meant to protect classroom continuity rather than disrupt it. For contact information and campus details, visit the University Laboratory School website.
