Cayetano critical of Harris' comments
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer
Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday said he disagrees with Mayor Jeremy Harris' statements that the state hasn't devoted the appropriate resources to education over the last three decades .
"I think it's uninformed criticism," Cayetano said.
Last week, Harris declared that he will run for governor as a Democrat and make education his No. 1 priority if elected. In an interview, Harris said the state has spent 30 years talking about education without backing up the talk with the right tools.
"You simply can't have a first-class educational system unless you put the resources there, in facilities, in equipment, in technology and in teachers," Harris said.
Cayetano, who cannot seek re-election because of the two-term limit, said he believes that the Democrats who have led the state during those years and determined educational priorities have worked to expand and improve the public education system from kindergarten to college.
"When I was in high school, the University of Hawai'i was small," Caye-
tano said, but noted it has since developed the community college system and added two more UH campuses in West O'ahu and Hilo.
In lower education, Cayetano said, the state has worked to provide an education for every child. "This administration, I think we've made a commitment to education, given the economic circumstances," Cayetano said. "I'm not sure what Harris is talking about."
When told that Harris maintains that he is criticizing "the state" and not the Democratic leadership over the last 30 years, Cayetano shrugged and asked: "What can I say?"
Cayetano praised Harris for the city program to offer free lunch to schoolchildren in low-income areas who are missing the lunches they normally receive at school because of the strike. The city provided the chili, rice and hot-dog meals to children yesterday and are prepared to do it again Monday if necessary.
"It's great," Cayetano said. "Anytime you can feed our kids free, I'm for it."
