Sunset Beach Christian School has served the North Shore for more than a half-century, but a critical report prepared for its parent church has upset parents and raised questions about the school's future.

The report, which was prepared in anticipation of a new pastor being voted on by the congregation, said the school had "fallen on hard times" and that it "continues to struggle with multiple systemic issues," including insufficient leadership, lack of academic standards and failure of teachers to adhere to and promote orthodox views of the Christian faith.

The report outlined two possible courses of action: that the school remain connected to the church and undergo major changes, including replacing the current part-time principal, or that it separate from the church and either begin to lease its half of the 2-acre property it shares with the church, or relocate after one year.

The congregation of Sunset Beach Christian Church is scheduled to discuss the report today and vote on the fate of the school on June 8.

Although it is not known whether the members would be asked to vote on keeping or closing the school, some parents last week said they feared the worst, and asked why there had not been more communication from church officials.

"We were kind of just hit with a bombshell about a week ago," said La'ie resident Caryn Houghton, who has two children in the first and fifth grades at Sunset Beach Christian.

CHURCHGOERS DECIDE

Houghton and several other families planned to bring baked goods to the campus today and reach out to the churchgoers who will be deciding the fate of their school.

"We just want to have a chance to meet the membership," she said. "We feel like they should know who we are."

A meeting on Tuesday evening attracted dozens of parents, students, alumni and others affiliated with the school. It was the first time many of them had heard about the report, Houghton said.

George Cox, a member of the church board that oversees the affairs of both entities, said the report "brought a lot of fears to the surface with respect to the operation of the school."

But, "this is like getting a stubbed toe — someone is going to come and render aid," he said. "This overwhelmingly negative report is bringing people out of the woods to ask, 'hey, what can we do to help the situation?' "

Cox, whose two children attended Sunset Beach Christian, said he would vote to keep the school, if it came down to such a choice.

The church and school were founded in 1953 as one entity, but today there is little or no interaction between them, even though they share the same small campus on Kamehameha Highway, down the road from Pupukea Beach Park.

The report acknowledged strains in the relationship: "While the school is considered a ministry of the church, the data and the interviews have made it clear that the church and the school are moving in different directions," it said. "As it stands, the school is not congruent with the life and ministry of the church. There is significant question as to its viability."

The school does not receive money from the church and relies on donations from Christian congregations, many on the Mainland. Parents say there is barely any communication between church officials and the school, and that their children don't even know the names of the pastors, although they want that to change.

"We, as parents, want to start a fellowship with the church more," said Lizette Baize, president of the recently created PTSO. "We want to become one."

In 2006, the church brought in two interim pastors from the Mainland to help it through a period of operational and spiritual transition. Their concerns also turned to issues at the school.

One of the pastors, who put the diagnostic team together, would not comment on the situation on Friday.

Some believe the future of the school also may be influenced if a new pastor is installed.

VOTE ON PASTOR

Church members will also vote June 8 whether to confirm a new lead pastor, Tom Bauer. He is also head pastor of Surfing the Nations, a nonprofit organization that mentors underprivileged youth through surfing, feeds the hungry and travels to Third World countries for community service projects.

Surfing the Nations has been in need of a new headquarters since being displaced from its Kalihi location. Its members have been a larger presence in services at Sunset Beach Christian Church over the past several months, Cox said.

Cox wondered if the church might try to address its membership or financial woes by offering Surfing the Nations a new headquarters, either alongside the school or in place of it.

"It's like buying a Lincoln Continental for our church when we only need a Volkswagen," he said.

Bauer could not be reached for comment for this story.

On Friday, parents and kids gathered in front of Sunset Beach Christian before the first class at 8 a.m., holding a colorful sign that read: "Save Our School."

Many parents said they were hesitant to explore nearby public schools, citing the larger class sizes, or other private schools, given the higher cost or distance from the North Shore.

Many said they would turn to homeschooling to ensure their children's education continued in line with their faith.

On Thursday, Caryn Houghton was fielding e-mails and organizing parents for today's gathering.

"We want to try to make a really peaceable effort to try to resolve this," she said.

Earlier that day, however, she also drove from her home in La'ie to tour Sunset Beach Public School.

"I know it's crazy," she said. "But I have to think about these sorts of things."