The two newly elected Board of Education members will need to "hit the ground running," considering the state's public school system is in the midst of the deepest budget cuts in recent memory, officials said.

Janis Akuna, incoming O'ahu at-large member, and Carol Mon Lee, the incoming Honolulu District member, were sworn in yesterday at the state Supreme Court by Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon.

Education officials met with Akuna and Lee last week to brief them on the pressing issues facing the state Department of Education.

"They will have to immediately join us in dealing with the budget decreases," said Karen Knudsen, vice-chairwoman of the BOE.

Knudsen said the new members will be expected to contribute to discussions about how to maintain services to students in light of up to $70 million in budget cuts next year.

Lee, former associate dean of the University of Hawai'i William S. Richardson School of Law, said she's in "learning mode" but is excited to begin to contribute her ideas.

"We definitely have a sense of the enormity of the situation," Lee said.

Akuna, a financial planner, said she wants to help the DOE find alternative sources of funding during the tough economic times.

"We have the opportunity to use our contacts and experience to hopefully gain support, financially or otherwise, for public education," Akuna said.

Five current board members who were re-elected also took the oath of office yesterday. They were Lei Ahu Isa, O'ahu at-large; Margaret Cox, Kaua'i District; Breene Harimoto, Leeward District; Garrett Toguchi, O'ahu at-large; and Herbert Watanabe, Hawai'i District.

The board's 14 members oversee the DOE's nearly $2.4 billion budget and set education policy for the state.

In addition to budget cuts, the board members will also face battles over closing and consolidating small schools, higher expectations under the federal No Child Left Behind law and attracting and maintaining highly qualified teachers.

Chairwoman Donna Ikeda said school consolidation will likely be on the agenda for the next year and a half.

"It's not going to be easy," Ikeda said. "Closing small schools is inevitable."

Ikeda said board members will also have to deal with how the public school system will provide professional development to teachers during a time of fiscal restraint.

"We all know that where you have excellent leadership in the classroom, you have academic progress," she said.

The board will have to work to develop relationships with local colleges and universities for teachers to receive the additional training they may need under No Child Left Behind, she said.

Lee said she's hoping to lobby on behalf of education at the state Legislature.

"There are expectations that a lot will be cut back everywhere. What we're hoping is that the Legislature, who controls the money, will make education a priority," she said.

Akuna said one of her goals as a board member will be to get the public more involved in the education system.

"We would like to work on more communication with the public. We're not sure how that will happen, but it's something we would like to work on," she said.

It is still unknown which BOE committee assignments the individual members will receive, Ikeda said. Board members will meet on Thursday to elect their leaders, she said. Committee leadership and membership is normally decided following the election of the board chair and vice chairs, she said.