After almost a decade, the county has officially given the Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science permission to operate on Pahoa agricultural land.

Last week, the Windward Planning Commission voted unanimously to grant a special permit to the Pahoa charter school, which serves grades kindergarten through 12. The permit lets the school operate on land originally designated for agriculture.

Commissioners did require that the main campus enrollment not exceed 300 students in the five years covered by the permit. Currently, some 250 students are on campus during a typical school week.

Additionally, commissioners ignored a recent recommendation from the state Department of Transportation that the school pay any intersection improvement costs that could be required due to increased traffic at the nearest main intersection, Post Office and Bypass roads -- a financial burden that administrators say would have buried the small school.

School supporters told commissioners that HAAS serves a vital function and to saddle it with zoning conflicts and construction costs would be taking away an important alternative to traditional public schools.

"We provide our community with choice," said Steve Hirakami, the school's director. "We're teaching our kids to give first, to build a better citizenship. We provide an atmosphere of competition, where everyone gets better. ... And we're built on a business model. If we don't build quality, we don't get students. That's a big difference between regular schools and charter schools."

Hirakami added that HAAS has traveled a "long and winding road," and battled difficult odds in building its campus from scratch.

"Please," he said, "tell us how can. We're committed to doing this so we can continue this kind of education. In 100 years from now, it won't matter what kind of cars we drove or the size of our bank accounts. What will matter is the difference we made in children's lives."

According to 12th-grader Matthew Cruz, who has attended HAAS for the past five years, the school is well on the way to making a very tangible difference in the lives of community members. Speaking without notes, the young man came off as sincere and self-assured.

"Students have a voice there," he said. "We feel like we can change anything. They're helping to prepare us for the real world, and giving students a chance to be leaders."

Perhaps the most compelling testimony came from 12-year-old student Malia Becker. Reading from a prepared statement, Malia's voice never waivered and lent proof to her words as she explained the virtues and strengths of her school.

Among the school's most unique and successful programs, she said, is HAAS' unique anti-bullying program, which has helped to make students feel safe and secure.

Students are encouraged to stand up for one another, and bullying is almost unheard of on campus, she said.

Ultimately, Becker said, the decision before the commission came down to priorities. What value does Hawaii place on a good community-oriented education, she asked.

"Are we willing to permit a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Longs Drugs in Pahoa, but not a school?" she inquired.

Audience members erupted into applause, and commissioners shared surprised smiles with each other over the young woman's rousing plea.

Applause once again washed over the crowd when the commission voted 5-0 to grant HAAS its permit.

Tuesday morning, Gail Clarke, the president of the nonprofit organization that supports HAAS, said she was thrilled with the outcome of last week's decision.

"It was a very time-consuming process," she said. "It took over two years for our application to be accepted. ... I was pretty proud of everyone in the room. ... Everybody left feeling good."

Clarke said the school expects to wait between 120 and 180 days for a letter of disposition from the county Planning Department, at which point the permit will be in effect.

As for future growth, Clarke said school leaders hope to build a new cafeteria on the campus in the near future. "Right now, the students eat lunch on the lanai," she said.

Located on 14.25 acres about a half mile northeast of Pahoa at Pahoa Bypass Road and Post Office Road, HAAS has operated since receiving its charter in June 2001.

According to Hirakami, HAAS was in on the ground floor of Hawaii's charter school movement. When the state began its charter school program, HAAS was in the first group of 23 schools to be awarded a charter.

"We never got the kind of support that a Department of Education school gets. All we get is per-pupil funding, but we get nothing for our facilities," he told Planning Commissioners last Wednesday morning. "Somehow though, we found ways to house it. We rented a lot of places in Pahoa, and then we got our first structure -- a circus tent."

From those early beginnings, HAAS has continued to grow, he said, watching as state charter enrollment ballooned from 2,500 to just under 10,000.