School closure
draws opposition

The Senate president suggests a panel
look into shutting the smaller facilities

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

As eighth-grade classmates at Central Intermediate, Stacey Macanas and Sophia Tam are less than a year away from attending high school.

The 13-year-old students fear a proposal by state Senate President Norman Mizuguchi to have an independent commission consider closing schools with small or declining enrollments puts not only Central's future in question, but that of its students, teachers and staff.

"I think they shouldn't close down this school because it means a lot to many people," Tam said after class yesterday.

"It's going to affect everybody," Macanas said. "It's going to affect the entire school."

Mizuguchi (D, Aiea) announced during his opening-day remarks to the state Legislature yesterday plans for a school-closure commission to save state money and meet the demands of expanding school districts.

A former public schoolteacher, Mizuguchi based the idea on a federal model of using a commission to close military bases.

The plan, however, is meeting resistance from Department of Education officials and state lawmakers, who defended the quality of education provided by small schools.

Wants tough school board

And Gov. Ben Cayetano believes all that is needed is a Board of Education that can make tough calls.

"I think the Senate president was basically saying the Board of Education was not doing it, making those hard types of decisions," Cayetano said.

School Superintendent Herman Aizawa said any talk of school closures will be a political issue - hotly opposed by students, parents, alumni and the community - and that any money saved won't amount to much in the state's big financial shortfall picture.

Besides, the DOE already has administrative rules that "kick in" when enrollment drops to levels where classrooms are underused, Aizawa said.

"If you close a school, you'll save maybe $175,000 to $200,000, that's it," he said.

"People think you save by keeping the teachers and moving them someplace else. You don't, because they go with the students that go with the other schools. That's one of the major factors of closing a school."

Knudsen sees 'overkill'

School Board Chairman Karen Knudsen called Mizuguchi's idea "overkill." If the state needs to close schools to save money, she said the board can do so without its help. June Motokawa of the Hawaii State Teachers Association agreed that the DOE and area residents can decide if a school should be closed.

House Education Chairman David Stegmaier (D, Hawaii Kai) said Mizuguchi's proposal runs counter to researchers who say small schools are better for students because better learning comes out of a caring, nurturing environment.

"To me, its a mistake to even venture down that road," said Stegmaier. He said his initial reaction is to hold such a bill in committee if it makes it over from the Senate.

House Speaker Joe Souki (D, Wailuku) agreed in concept that schools need to consolidate, but said he doesn't know if having a commission is necessary.

Senate Education Co-Chairman Rod Tam said productivity and efficiency are greater factors to consider than enrollment when deciding whether to shut down a school. Tam (D, Nuuanu) plans to hold a public hearing on the issue and encouraged testimony from parents, teachers, and especially students.

Another route suggested

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Quentin K. Kawananakoa yesterday called for lawmakers to go the opposite direction by creating smaller, teacher-driven schools that have proven to work. Kawananakoa (R, Punchbowl-Nuuanu) said this would allow teachers to again be advisers, mentors and friends.

"In the long term, I can think of no greater investment in our economy than our schools," he said.

Star-Bulletin guide to lawmakers of the '98 Legislature

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