Posted on: Thursday, April 10, 2003

ISLAND VOICES
Educators know what is best in education

By Donna Whitford
Complex area superintendent (Baldwin/Kekaulike, Maui, complexes)

I taught for a year in Idaho in a relatively wealthy school district only a few miles away from a school where my brother taught in a relatively poor district. The inequities between the two schools were startling, especially in the area of facilities.

Hawai'i's statewide unified school district is not broken. Creating seven or more local school boards and districts would waste valuable time, energy and resources that could be better used.

Under the strong leadership of Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto, we have already restructured the former seven administrative districts into 15 complex areas. These complex areas are responding to the needs of each of their respective school communities. While the schools are seeing much more of their complex area superintendents than they ever did before, too much of our time is being diverted as we are called upon to justify our jobs and argue against budget reductions.

Creating seven local school boards and seven departments of education would cost an inordinate amount of money that Hawai'i could ill-afford. Seven local school boards would also create another layer of bureaucracy that could stymie innovation and creativity at the schools.

If local boards were to micromanage the schools, there would be no way to ensure that the people serving on these boards would have the credentials or knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions.

Educators are asked time and time again for their credentials. We must attend school and earn degrees in education. Yet, it seems that we are not trusted to know what is best for our students. The expertise already resides in our schools and should be used to the fullest.

This does not preclude community involvement in our schools. All members of the learning community have a voice, and parents can choose to be active participants in their children's education. Local school boards would just be another group of people telling schools how they should be operating.

Public school students succeed magnificently in every course of study, including fine arts, vo-tech, technology and athletics. They are able to achieve because of — not in spite of — the quality of education they receive at their respective schools.