Emotional hearing lays bare tensions over school reform
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
The chairman of the Senate Education Committee criticized the Lingle administration and supporters of local school boards yesterday for what he called their disingenuous and oversimplified claims about education reform.
State Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake), said he is frustrated that the governor and her supporters have cast reform as a simple choice for voters when the issues involved are much more complex.
Gov. Linda Lingle has proposed breaking up the state Department of Education into seven districts with locally elected school boards. She has also called for a new student spending formula that she said would give schools control over 90 percent of spending decisions. Democrats have also backed a new spending formula and have recommended giving more spending control to schools.
Over the past few weeks, the governor and her supporters have sought to challenge the apparent consensus on a new formula by arguing that Democrats and the DOE will not commit to a specific figure that would go to schools.
Laura H. Thielen, a member of the state Board of Education who serves on Lingle's advisory committee, Citizens Achieving Reform in Education, told lawmakers at a hearing yesterday that not only have the Democrats refused to provide a figure, but that even if they did and it became law the DOE would resist unless it is broken apart.
"To constantly keep saying, '90, 90, 90,' that's disingenuous at this point," Sakamoto said.
In Edmonton, Alberta, the city being used by Lingle as a model, schools have decision-making power over about 90 percent of spending after debt servicing, according to Mike Strembitsky, a former superintendent in Edmonton who is a consultant to Lingle and educators.
Sakamoto also took a shot at local school boards yesterday. "I'm not going through this whole session being bogged down with 'seven, seven seven,' " he said.
The senator told Thielen: "You oversimplify an issue that is not that simple."
An emotional Thielen countered that she is frustrated that Democrats are now critical of local school boards when many voted just two years ago to put the issue before voters. Lingle has asked the Legislature to let voters decide this year whether to approve local school boards or a proposal by Democrats to expand the BOE from 13 to 17 voting members to make it more geographically representative of the state.
Earlier in the hearing, Linda Smith, the governor's policy adviser, described the Democrats' proposal as flawed and short of genuine reform. Along with expanding the BOE, the Democrats want to strengthen School Community Based Management councils.
"The fundamental concept comes down to who controls the money," Smith said, contending that Democrats would leave too much power with the DOE.
State Sen. Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau), the vice chair of the Education Committee, said he was "surprised and somewhat offended" by Smith's comments. The senator said both sides should be looking at where they agree so the debate can move forward.
State Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe), said the exchanges at the hearing were extraordinary and exposed the tensions surrounding education reform. "Sometimes," he said, "after people fight, they have more respect for each other."
Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
