Posted on: Saturday, February 16, 2002
House legislation calls for 15 local area school boards
• Hawai'i schools must fill up to 1,500 teacher slots
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
The state House is moving education reform legislation that would radically change the structure of the state Department of Education.
The plan includes dismantling the Board of Education and replacing it with 15 local school boards that would select their own "complex area" superintendent. Each board would be made up of four elected members and three members appointed by the state superintendent. A state superintendent — appointed by the governor — would oversee the education department.
Republicans have long favored the idea of replacing the statewide Board of Education with locally elected school boards, saying decision-making belongs closer to schools, parents and the community.
House Education Committee Chairman Ken Ito, D-48th (Kane'ohe), said he has worked on the legislation, which he called nonpartisan, with Rep. Guy Ontai, R-39th (Wheeler, Mililani).
Ito said this proposed system would establish more accountability in the education department.
"We want now to have more public input, we want clear lines of accountability, we want clear lines of authority, we want clear lines of responsibility," he said. He said having local complexes would be more effective in improving schools because they would concentrate on a smaller population.
The bill would give each local superintendent the authority to hire, evaluate and fire principals and vice principals, and would be required to give residents an annual report about the school complex. The local superintendent would also measure students' academic performance, work with the education department in setting educational and financial goals, and oversee curriculum instruction.
The state superintendent's responsibilities would include overseeing public schools' progress, establishing guidelines for teacher performance and proposing a budget to the governor for approval before submitting the proposal to the Legislature.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Norman Sakamoto, D-16th (Moanalua, Salt Lake), is also working on somewhat similar legislation that would provide for locally elected school boards. Sakamoto's proposal would let the governor also select members from the elected school boards to serve on a statewide board of education.
State schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said while she understands lawmakers' concerns about accountability in the education department, she questions whether changing its structure would improve student achievement. She said she believes the current elected state Board of Education represents the community and that she has concerns that different boards may result in differing standards and inequities in the system.
"Our understanding in our society is that local government means you get to say the way you want it done, so if it's local government decision-making does that mean we end up with 15 different profiles of a high school graduate?" Hamamoto asked. "With one (board) we know that there is equity, there is a degree of standardization, there is that degree of expectation for that high school graduate from the public school in the state of Hawai'i."
You can reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
