Charter schools chief selected
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Staff Writer
KEALAKEKUA, Hawai'i — The Board of Education last night appointed Big Island educator Steve Hirakami as interim executive director of Hawai'i's charter schools.
Hirakami, 57, is director of a Pahoa charter school called Hawai'i Academy of Arts and Sciences, and also served as president of the Hawai'i Charter Schools Network. Hirakami stepped down from the Charter Schools Network position to accept the interim executive director's job.
Hirakami
Hirakami temporarily replaces Dewey Kim, a former deputy attorney general, who resigned June 14.
Charter school representatives praised the appointment of Hirakami. School representatives said it was critical to quickly make an interim appointment to oversee distribution of funding for the charter schools next month.
The board also approved the conversion of Kualapu'u School, a Moloka'i elementary school with about 300 students, into the state's 27th charter school.
