12 to watch in 2002
Pat Hamamoto

Advertiser Staff

Hamamoto can see the pockets of excellence in the system, but at the same time she has the federal court and Legislature breathing down her neck over special education. She has crumbling buildings, not enough textbooks, looming budget cuts and both sides of the gay rights debate taking shots at her. All that while trying to improve how kids learn.

LeMahieu was welcomed in and spat out in three short years. Observers groan about the revolving door of superintendents. They hope that with "one of us" back in charge, the top office will enjoy the support of the troops, which LeMahieu often did not. Hamamoto is sticking with her predecessor's vision for standards-based reform, but combining it with her own in-the-trenches sensitivities.

The new schools chief has her heart in the right place, she knows her stuff, and she is conscious of not treading on toes that may have been squashed in recent years. It remains to be seen how long she can keep her multiple bosses — the education board, Legislature, governor and, ultimately, the public — happy.