Last Sunday in this section, we asked five current and former members of our Community Editorial Board to grade the just-ended legislative session in five key areas.

They pulled no punches, giving grades from B to D.

Their assessments, on the cover of the Focus section, complemented The Advertiser's own commentary as well as its editorial wrapping up what we saw as the accomplishments and disappointments of the session.

Also, but in a less-obvious way, input from the current Community Editorial Board helped shaped The Advertiser's editorial Wednesday on Hono-lulu Charter Commission proposals. The Advertiser's editorial-page staff discussed the charter proposals with the Community Editorial Board the previous week, and some of their viewpoints from that discussion were reflected in the editorial.

The community board is an effort to broaden the perspective in our editorial pages and to get input from a diversity of viewpoints.

"They bring a taxpayer's perspective to the table and provide valuable insight into key issues that our editorial pages deal with on a regular basis," said Jeanne Mariani-Belding, editorial and opinion editor. "That's a refreshing and much-needed viewpoint, particularly in terms of policy and legislative debates that are too often framed around special interests."

Advertiser editorial writer Vicki Viotti says that hearing members of the board share their thoughts about issues "gives the writers ideas and helps them test their reasoning.

"Often, we've overlooked important points or effects of some action on the community, or we've made assumptions that don't hold up," said Viotti. "When I think about our weekly routine here, meeting with the board members is the most important part."

Native Hawaiian homesteader Bill Prescott called his term on the Community Editorial Board "an opportunity to share, to inform, and hopefully to improve coverage on matters of concern."

He cited his interest in education, particularly in schools with a high number of disadvantaged students. "Knowing that a core curriculum would be an advantage to these schools due to their high turnover of teachers and student transfers, it was important to me that The Advertiser felt the same way. They did, and their editorials made it loud and clear," he said.

Ed Enos, Kailua resident and a harbor pilot, said he valued the opportunity to bring a front-line perspective about maritime and other issues to The Advertiser. Enos said, and other previous board members agreed, that they could see the input from discussions in editorials.

The Community Editorial Boards started in August 2001. And our boards have evolved and their roles have been expanded.

There are usually five to six people on each board, and each board serves an eight-week term. The editorial department tries to get a diversity of perspectives on each board.

The paper invites a guest toward the end of the board's term, usually someone with expertise in the board's interests.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Superintendent of Education Pat Hamamoto, House Speaker Calvin Say and state Community Development Authority Executive Director Daniel Dinell are some of those who have met with our Community Editorial Boards.

We print excerpts of those sessions in the Focus section.

During the summer, we also have a Youth Community Editorial Board Board, composed of high school students. "It's helpful to hear what issues are important to them, and to hear their take on these issues," said Mariani-Belding.

Senior editor Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative.

Reach Anne Harpham at aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com.