Prompted by widespread discontent over public school furloughs, three former Hawai'i governors say it is time to overhaul the state's education system and they've drafted a manifesto of education reform.

At the heart of the proposal from former Govs. George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano is a change to the education system's governance structure — specifically the state Board of Education — which they say is mired in politics and lacks sufficient accountability.

Replace the current elected BOE with one appointed by the governor, give principals more authority over their resources and schools, and mandate more instructional time. That's the formula the governors lay out in their manifesto "Hawai'i's Children First," which they see as a catalyst for a wider public conversation of how to change the statewide school system.

"Our combined experiences have convinced each one of us that a change is needed," said Cayetano, who was governor from 1994 to 2002. "I just don't think that the elected board has worked very well."

The former governors' pitch for education reforms comes on the heels of Gov. Linda Lingle's call for an amendment to the state's Constitution to abolish the state Board of Education and make the superintendent of schools a Cabinet-level position appointed by the governor.

While the three former governors say their reasons for wanting to change the system mirror Lingle's concerns, their proposal would not do away with the BOE, but would change the way its 13 voting members are selected.

Ariyoshi, who served three four-year terms as governor beginning in 1974, said he had favored a switch from an appointed school board to one that is elected. That change was made in 1964. He said his opinions of an elected school board have since changed.

"Over the years I have become disturbed not so much about the work they are doing, but the election of people. I go and vote and I don't know the individuals, I don't really know what kind of qualifications they have," Ariyoshi said.

Ariyoshi said he envisions the governor appointing people who have been vetted by an advisory council, similar to the current selection of the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents. Each potential appointment would be subject to confirmation in the state Senate.

The governors generally agree that the appointed BOE would be in charge of broad education policy and would appoint the superintendent of schools.

Waihee, governor from 1986 to 1994, said the revamped governance structure would clarify who is ultimately responsible for education.

"Right now you have too many masters and there is no clear sense of who is in charge of education. Obviously the superintendent is, but she or he has to answer to a Board of Education, a Legislature and a governor. When you have that type of diffused responsibility you have a situation that is less than accountable," Waihee said.

BUDGET CUTS

Former superintendent Patricia Hamamoto said a change to the governance structure of the DOE would not necessarily result in improvement in student achievement at the school level. Hama-moto said the school system needs the support of the governor and resources so that principals and teachers can do their work.

"How about a governor that supports education rather than puts down edu-cation?" Hamamoto said.

Hamamoto, who resigned as superintendent last month after eight years as the schools chief, pointed to more than $468 million in cuts to the public education system for the 2009-11 school years, cuts mandated by Lingle and the state Legislature. She said those cuts make it difficult to increase student achievement.

"Appointed or elected is not the answer," Hamamoto said. "The ability for the governance model to work is based on the relationships , the support, the commitment of our top policymakers. If the governor believes in education and she is going to support education — even if there are limited resources."

Ariyoshi echoed Hama-moto's sentiment about the relationship between the governor and the DOE.

"I never had the kinds of problems that the current governor has, but I had close communication with the superintendent. I worked closely with the Board of Education," Ariyoshi said.

PRINCIPAL POWER

Overall, Hamamoto said she agrees with the concepts of the former governors' proposals, including their call for principals to be educational leaders of their schools.

The governors say principals need greater control over their campuses, specifically their schools' funding, so they can make strategic decisions based on the student body they serve. The governors propose that principals be in control of 90 percent of their school's budget.

"Principals are the ones who are closer to their ground, so to speak, and they have a better idea on where resources should go to make their schools run better," Cayetano said.

Cayetano acknowledged that the Reinventing Education Act of 2004, or Act 51, gave principals control over 70 percent of their school budgets under the Weighted Student Formula. But he said principals need more control.

Waihee agreed that children in no two communities are alike and that principals should have the flexibility to use different strategies that fit their schools.

"People at the teaching level ought to have the ability to work out how the system would work best for their children. We need to give principals and teachers more authority , make it possible for principals to really manage," Waihee said.

DOE chief financial officer James Brese said school autonomy was the main thrust of Act 51, and that much of the theory behind the governors' proposal is already in place. In addition to controlling 70 percent of their budget, principals, along with their school's School Community Council, make decisions about the purchase of textbooks and supplies, the hiring of teachers, librarians, resource professionals, tutors and other personnel .

"Everything that is student-achievement-related is being spent at the school level," Brese said.

The other 30 percent of the DOE budget, about $530.7 million, is spent at the district or state level and deals mostly with running the school system, including bus transportation, food services, utilities, building repairs, unemployment benefit administration, workers' compensation, federal compliance and other expenses.

Brese said it would be inefficient to have principals be in charge of those functions.

"It is a lot of work that is not going to add any value to student achievement. Principals need to be the educational leader for their school, and having to take care of all that administrative-type stuff just adds more work," Brese said.

GRADING TEACHERS

Echoing reforms mandated by President Obama's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and the federal Race to the Top grant competition, the governors said principals need control over the evaluation and removal of ineffective teachers.

"The principals should have that kind of authority. We should make it easier to remove teachers who aren't doing the job, or even to try to help them get better." Cayetano said. "The problem we have right now is, it is hard for the principals to do it."

Cayetano said the issues surrounding the removal of underperforming teachers mirrors a systemic problem in state government .

Interim Superintendent Kathryn Mata-yoshi, in an editorial board meeting with The Advertiser, said the state is working toward comprehensive teacher evaluations in line with ARRA and the federal Race to the Top program. The federal guidelines specify that states must not prohibit the use of test scores in evaluating teacher performance.

"We have had a series of informal meetings with the teachers union, because these are negotiation issues. We understand that there is a long road and the discussion has to start," Matayoshi said. "When the next negotiations begin, a lot of this discussion needs to get into that next negotiation," she said.