Education board measures approved
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
The Senate Education Committee yesterday approved measures that would pave the way for local education boards, but leaves open questions of how board members would be chosen.
The approved Senate draft of House Bill 714 would put a question on the ballot asking voters if
the state constitution should be amended to give lawmakers the authority to establish regional boards of education in addition to the existing statewide board of education.
The question does not specify whether the members of the boards would be elected. Gov. Linda Lingle and Republican lawmakers have pushed for locally elected school boards to improve the school system.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Norman Sakamoto said details need to be worked out, calling the bills "a work in progress."
"I'm not saying it has to be elected or it's not elected," said Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake). "And if people don't like that flexibility then maybe they're not ready to let us press ahead until we really hammer out the details."
The committee also approved a new draft of House Bill 289, which would set up a system of seven geographical regional education agencies each governed by an appointed board of directors. The board members would include two appointees each by the governor, the Senate president and the House speaker.
Sakamoto said those regional boards would be in place before residents vote on the constitutional question in 2004. If voters adopt the constitutional amendment and lawmakers agree to create elected school boards, members would be elected in 2006.
"We need to do further surveying to determine how we're going to actually build what we proposed to build," he said. "The broad question will still allow the work to be done without going down the wrong road."
Some committee members expressed concerns about the measures. Sen. Ron Menor, D-17th (Mililani, Waipi'o), said the measures still have a lot of unanswered questions but would support it to continue discussion. He stressed that more money and resources are needed to improve schools.
Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe), said the ballot question only appears to decentralize the education system but that it really adds another layer of bureaucracy.
If the bills pass the Senate, they will likely go to conference committee, where differences will be worked out between House and Senate lawmakers.
The House version of the bills, which had been introduced by the House Democratic leadership, calls for establishing 15 complex area councils that would have some decision-making authority.
The House Democrats have rejected Lingle's bill for local elected school boards, with key Democrats saying they don't want to ask voters to change the system without nailing down all the details of how the system would work.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
