EDITORIAL
Advertiser endorses for Board of Education
In an election that will demand votes for offices ranging from president of the United States to mayor of Honolulu, perhaps the most important one on ballot for Hawai'i is the state Board of Education.
Hawai'i stands on the cusp of making great changes and, one hopes, great improvements to our public school system. Those changes will run directly through the elected statewide Board of Education.
Some advocates of school reform say the real answer is to break up the statewide board and create a number of smaller, more local boards. The debate on that idea will go on for a long time to come.
But the most critical focus right now is on a law being called Act 51, which Democrats in the Legislature dubbed the "Reinventing Education Act."
Great promise
This law, while far from perfect, could represent a sea change in the way schools are governed in this state and in the way they address the educational needs of Hawai'i's students.
It shifts substantial portions of the overall education budget into the hands of principals, guided by elected school advisory councils. It puts a strong emphasis on the basics, including getting more textbooks into the hands of students and more parents involved in their local schools.
Critics have charged that Act 51 is largely window dressing, adopting the language of reform while accomplishing little in practice.
Our belief is that those who wrote the law and those now in charge of implementing it are sincere.
All must buy in
But Act 51 will only be successful if everyone, from classroom teachers through principals, mid-level administrators, Department of Education leadership and the board itself, truly buy in.
Over the next year, our expectation is that a courageous, determined Board of Education will insist on the kind of changes that improve, fundamentally, the quality of interaction between every teacher and every child.
If the the central administration is dragging its feet, then the board should step in and find someone who will do the job.
If principals are struggling with the burdens of their new authority, then the board should step in and ensure that proper training (already under way with a principals' "academy") be given all the support it needs.
Clearly, there is no expectation that the Board of Education speak with one voice or be of one mind on every issue. But it is imperative that we have an activist, committed board that truly holds the needs of our children first.
Seven Board of Education seats are up for election Nov. 2. Out of a strong and impressive field of candidates, our choices are:
Big Island: Incumbent Herbert Watanabe, who knows the school system well and has strong ideas on how it can be improved. We are impressed that Watanabe sees the need to focus on curriculum as well as standards for our schools.
Kaua'i: This was a tough choice between former Board member Mits Nakashima and recently retired school principal Maggie Cox. Both would serve well; we recommend Cox, who would bring fresh energy to the board and the perspective of someone who has, until recently, viewed the system "from the trenches."
Honolulu: Incumbent Denise Matsumoto has developed deep understanding of education issues during her years on the board and is committed to the philosophy, found in Act 51, of greater local control and accountability for our schools.
Leeward O'ahu: Incumbent, and currently board chairman, Breene Harimoto has been an energetic leader and forceful advocate for curriculum reform.
O'ahu at Large: Three will be elected. We recommend Garrett Toguchi, Robert Midkiff and Guy Kaulukukui. Toguchi, an incumbent, is a passionate advocate for children with special needs. Midkiff, an experienced community leader, has a deep and abiding interest in the critical importance of early childhood education. Kaulukukui, an articulate educator and Hawaiiana specialist, is a believer in the successful Hawaiian immersion program within the Department of Education.
Ultimately, of course, every voter will make up his or her own mind. These candidates and others are getting their views out through community forums, on community access television and in other venues.
Whether you have children in school or not, this election if vital to you. Our future is at stake.
Get to know the candidates. Determine who you feel has the strongest commitment to change and to our children. And then vote.
