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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, September 9, 2004

EDITORIAL
Advertiser endorses for Board of Education

No topic has dominated the public agenda over the past year or two as much as education.

It's no wonder, then, that the race for Board of Education this year has drawn a long list of talented and committed people.

The Advertiser endorses these candidates:

BIG ISLAND

Incumbent Herbert Watanabe deserves a third term on the board. A retired educator and former chairman of the Board of Education, Watanabe has a deep understanding of the issues and problems facing public education today. His experience will serve as a useful counterweight to the enthusiasm of newer members of the board.

KAUA'I

For this race, The Advertiser endorses veteran Mitsugi Nakashima and newcomer Maggie Cox.

Nakashima, who had 34 years in the Department of Education as a teacher, principal, curriculum specialist and assistant superintendent, knows education in Hawai'i from the inside out. He also served from 1988 through 2000 on the school board and was appointed to a national panel on student assessment.

Margaret "Maggie" Cox is a newcomer to elective politics but has deep experience in education with more than 30 years as teacher and principal.

Cox would bring fresh energy to the board and offers the perspective of someone who was until recently in the trenches of education.

HONOLULU

In this race, The Advertiser endorses incumbent Denise Matsumoto, who has served 16 years on the Board of Education. While she is a strong believer in more local control and accountability for our schools, she does not favor breaking up the statewide school board into numerous local districts.

LEEWARD O'AHU

In this race, both incumbent Breene Harimoto and newcomer Shad Kane will move on to the general election.

O'AHU AT LARGE

The Advertiser endorses:

Guy Kaulukukui, a veteran educator in both public and private schools and a strong supporter of charter schools, particularly Hawaiian immersion schools. He would be a bright and energetic presence on the board.

Maralyn Kurshals, an active community volunteer and worker on the Wai'anae coast, whose two Hawai'i-born daughters were educated in Island public schools.

Her education-related activities include service as a Felix Review Service Tester, a member of the Good Beginnings Alliance and service with the Wai'anae Coast for Better Education alliance.

Nobleza Magsanoc, a 30-year resident of Hawai'i who arrived here originally from the Philippines. With both a B.A. and an MBA in accounting from the University of Hawai'i, Magsanoc is particularly interested in vocational and trade education.

This interest comes in part from her work as Operations Manager for Pacific Resource Partnership and as a member of the Hawai'i School-to-Work Board.

Robert Midkiff, a longtime local businessman and community volunteer whose interests range from the arts through education. He served as president of the Good Beginnings Alliance from 1996 through 2002 and remains an ardent champion of early education for Hawai'i's youngsters.

Midkiff was founder of American Trust Co., Hawai'i, Inc. and retired in 1993 to devote his full-time energies to financial and managerial support for nonprofit causes.

He would bring business savvy, community experience and a passion for early childhood education to the board.

Alan Takumi, retired after 30 years in the Air Force and now a property manager and community volunteer.

Takumi would bring a steady, experienced hand to the board. He is particularly concerned about the poor physical condition of our public schools, saying the "straw that broke the camel's back" was learning that parents at Moanalua and La'ie Elementary had to hold fund-raisers to buy textbooks for their children.

Takumi hopes to bring his experience in facilities and management to bear on the physical quality of our schools.

Garrett Toguchi, currently an appointed member of the board and an elected member between 1996 and 2002. Toguchi's expertise focuses on work with students with disabilities, at-risk youth and Hawaiian language programs.

From 1998 through 2003, Toguchi was executive director of The Arc in Hawai'i, an organization that works with the disabled.