Candidates swap remedies for education

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Linda Lingle and Mazie Hirono saw Hawai'i's public education system from different perspectives last night at their fourth joint gubernatorial forum, with Hirono arguing that "we have to get over this attitude that we are somehow the worst in the nation" and Lingle responding that "we have to admit that we're not doing well."

The forum at the State Capitol, sponsored by the Hawai'i State Parent Teacher Student Association, gave Hirono, the Democratic lieutenant governor, and Lingle, the Republican former Maui mayor, an opportunity to highlight what they've done to help Hawai'i's teachers and school children.

There were also plenty of areas for general agreement.

Asked how they felt about changing the minimum age for children to start kindergarten, Lingle and Hirono said they supported stronger pre-school efforts.

Hirono and Lingle also favor a proposed state constitutional amendment that would let private schools raise money through state-sponsored bonds because it won't affect money for public education. Both also oppose vouchers to let parents use public money to send their children to private schools.

But the forum also offered Lingle the chance to repeat her campaign theme that incumbent Democrats have been part of what's wrong with Hawai'i's public school system.

Without naming Hirono specifically, Lingle said that "people in leadership have stood by as test scores have dropped year after year."

The defense that test scores are down because Hawai'i has a large number of immigrants doesn't make sense, Lingle said, when scores of some Caucasian students in math, reading and science are among the lowest.

Later, Hirono said to much applause: "The fact that Hawai'i schools are not at the bottom of every test score and this constant bashing of our school system, which really translates into bashing our teachers, our schools, our parents, our students most of all, is not the positive way we are going to make the changes we need to make. ... When we talk about we need to do better, that's one of the ways we need to do better."

The forum also included three minor gubernatorial candidates — nonpartisan Jim Brewer, Free Energy Party candidate Daniel Cunningham and Libertarian Tracy Ahn Ryan.