PUBLIC SCHOOLS

INDEPENDENT AUDITS KEY TO ACCOUNTABILITY

I want to share with our elected officials, as well as our citizens, my support and belief in outside, independent audits as a key component of department accountability and public transparency.

At the complex, district and state level, the Department of Education initiates objective, third-party audits as a way of evaluating our programs and use of resources. The findings in these audits are carefully considered and implemented based on best professional practices and research in improving student academics and how our systems work.

Management audits and independent evaluations of the DOE have been conducted for more than a decade. For example, the state Office of the Auditor has performed program and school audits, reviews and investigations since 1984.

Likewise, the U.S. Department of Education routinely scrutinizes federal initiatives such as Title I, Even Start Family Literacy, English Language Acquisition, and Prevention & Intervention programs. Other external examinations include the annual financial and single audits of the DOE as required by the federal Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133.

In addition to ongoing audits, the state Board of Education approved a program evaluation policy in August 2006. It directs the department to conduct a program and fiscal evaluation of its programs at least once every five years. Programs must meet or exceed the board's standards and goals, and perform in a cost-effective manner. A program's failure to meet the standards may result in its discontinuation.

As public servants, we have a professional and moral mandate to increase transparency and raise accountability in our state government. Within the Department of Education, independent audits are critical evaluations that help us to work smarter and more efficiently. We set priorities and use our resources to drive instruction for the benefit of our students. Staff at all levels are held accountable.

Independent audits, program reviews and evaluations of the DOE will remain a standard practice. We are focused on improving our services and providing a quality education for all students.

DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS

TOO BAD PARTY WAS NOT PREPARED FOR TURNOUT

The Democratic Party asked us to come out and we did, in droves. To bad they weren't prepared.

As a popular song says "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it all ... and then some."

And that's just what they got.

My husband and I arrived at 6:30 p.m. and still didn't get a real ballot — just a piece of copy paper.

People were still in line when we left around 7:30. I have no idea how they are going to validate the vote. I guess we'll have to trust in the process. The important thing is we came and we voted. That's what counts.

Now, no matter how the vote turns out, let's be sure to support the winner in November.

THANKS TO ALL WHO TURNED OUT TO VOTE

Will Rogers said, "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."

The Democrats proved that again. We did, however, let everyone's voice be heard, and counted every ballot.

Thank you for standing in line for hours and voting on Post-it notes, scratch paper and who knows what else.

This is democracy at its best. Thanks to all of the volunteers who made it possible. We have the worst system of government in the world, unless you compare it to any other.

The election made me realize again that there is nothing that we as Americans cannot overcome. We have spread democracy to America, Hawaiian style.

Thank you for voting, thank you for helping make the world a better place.

MAYBE HAWAI'I SHOULD GO TO PRIMARY SYSTEM

After Tuesday night's Democratic caucus, I hope party leadership will recognize that caucuses might work sometimes in some places, and might not work in all situations and all places.

There are reports that some Republicans who went to Democratic caucuses to "observe" were handed ballots to vote. And some who went to overcrowded caucus sites where there were insufficient staff, membership application forms, party membership cards, and ballots left without voting, while others may have voted more than once.

Apparently, no record was kept regarding who was given ballots or who voted in a process that was intended to keep Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Greens and others from voting in a Democratic party gathering. And the response from one elected official was "you can trust Democrats to vote only once." Did he also trust the Republicans and others present to not vote?

And what about the many who went home rather than participate in the free-for-all fiasco. Was it an exercise in democracy for them?

Maybe we should go back to the old, more democratic system — the primary election run by the election experts.

Remember when we could all go in to a polling place, have our name and ID checked, and be given ballots from all parties? We were allowed to vote only once and only for one party, of our choosing.

What could be more democratic than that?

NAME NOT CHECKED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN PARTY

At Jefferson School, I waited in line and showed my driver's license. Reading the address off of my card, the precinct officials directed me to go to my district "table." Once there, I was given a blank slip of paper, asked to write down my candidate choice and place the paper in an envelope.

At no time was my name checked against a list of registered voters, nor was it checked to see whether I was a member of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i.

Is this the way the vote was supposed to be held? How many ineligible voters were in line with me or at other caucus sites? What a joke.

REFRESHING TO SEE SO MANY TURN OUT TO VOTE

I spent more than an hour waiting for the chance to register and vote in Hawai'i's Democratic presidential caucus. It was a near-chaotic scene, but it was refreshing to see more than 1,000 other citizens, young and old, waiting in line to do the same.

Although I am of the older generation, I feel the same enthusiasm as the youth of the country who have been excited about Barack Obama's presidential bid.

Hillary Clinton says that she will be the agent for change, but a lot of her support and money comes from the old guard of the Democratic Party and large corporations and lobbyists. How is she going to bring about change when she will owe these groups big time?

Obama, on the other hand, is largely supported by numerous small donations from the little people. He will be in a much better position to implement the changes he has promised. He has stated repeatedly that the road to recovery will not be easy and expects large sacrifices from all of us. I hope we all get a chance to see what he can do.

SUPERDELEGATES SHOULD FOLLOW VOTERS' LEAD

Standing in the long line at my caucus site, I felt proud to be a participant in this important event.

All those in line at caucus sites throughout our state came out to cast their votes in support of a Democratic candidate.

I hope that our superdelegates cast their votes to reflect the voices of the people of Hawai'i. Political ties and favors aside, listen to your constituents. We will be watching and we will remember.

CAUCUS POOR EXAMPLE OF THE ELECTION PROCESS

I left home early so as to arrive well before the deadline for voting in the Democratic caucus.

The traffic near and around Kawananakoa school was congested for blocks. There was no parking available in the lot or on the street.

Voters were lined up around the building. Many of us were just unable to vote. What a poor example of the democratic process of elections.

TRANSIT

RAIL FARE WILL BE SAME AS THEBUS, THEBOAT

In response to recent letters regarding the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Project, I would like to clarify some of the confusion about the system's performance requirements.

The fare to ride the proposed fixed-guideway system would be the same as for TheBus or TheBoat. That is not to be confused with a cost of $2. Two dollars would be the fare if the system was running today, but it could change in the future. As far as subsidizing the system, all transportation systems are subsidized in one way or another, with the possible exception of some toll roads. The level of subsidy for the transit project will be regulated by the City Council, as it is currently for TheBus and TheBoat.

There was concern about the time the vehicle will stop at stations. Trains are estimated to stop for 20 seconds at each station, but they will be stopped long enough to load or unload passengers. That is about 20 to 30 seconds in most systems around the world.

The system will have a top speed of more than 55 mph and an average speed of 30 mph, including all stops. Between stations, it will travel substantially faster than 30 miles per hour.

I hope this information helps to explain the basis of some of the performance factors.