Randall Yee

Party: Nonpartisan

Age: 51

Job: Attorney & CPA, self employed.

Born in Honolulu. In Hawaii from birth

Lives: Kaimuki

Contact: 524-4501, rmly@hawaii.rr.com

Job history past 10 years:
same as above.

Ever run for public office? When? Outcome?
1986 Senate-lost, 2000 BOE-lost, 2002 BOE-won, 2006 Senate-lost.

Other civic experience or community service:
Makiki Neighborhood Board, Aloha United Way, Drug Addiction Services of Hawaii, American Cancer Society, City Planning Commission.

1) Why are you running for office?
I am rerunning for the Board because I continue to believe that education will always be critical in ensuring Hawaii's future success. Having served for four years, including one year as Board Chairman, it has given me insight as to what can be accomplished by the Board to help improve public education and would like the opportunity to continue the initiatives that the Board adopted.

2) How should the DOE deal with budget cuts? Where should reductions occur?
I would review many of the various programs that are funded but do not have measurable outcomes or evidence to prove them successful. All of these programs, like grants should be reviewed and renewed every several years. Streamlining functions and improving the efficiency of the educational services provided should also be reviewed.

3) How should the DOE modify its school funding formula to more fairly distribute money to schools?
The concept behind Weighted Student Formula (WSF) is to establish various weights that are assigned to different categories that result in greater funding for those schools that have students with those characteristics. These weights must continue to be reviewed on a periodic basis. Further, the legislature should continue to provide additional funding to schools losing funds during the transition

4) How should a teacher drug-testing program be administered and funded?
There needs to be established clear rules and guidelines as to the process to ensure the privacy protection and rights of the teachers. The funding should be provided by the State as part of the DOE budget.

5) How many children do you have, and did they attend public or private school?
2 children. 1 graduated from public school and 1 currently attends private school.

6) What’s the No. 1 initiative you would pursue in 2009?
Having the BOE establish a community task force to review and redefine education to help our students compete in today's global society. Relevancy is a term that is used frequently to describe one aspect of what an educational curriculum should consist of that will educate our students and prepare them for tomorrow's job market. I will also focus on continued transparency and accountability.