Board grants
schools chief LeMahieu
4-year contract

LeMahieu, pleased by the vote,
says it seals the commitment
of both him and the BOE

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

When new schools Superintendent Paul LeMahieu comes to work Sept. 1, parents and teachers can be assured he'll stay for the next four years.

After about two hours of negotiations yesterday, the school board offered LeMahieu a four-year contract.

Details of the contract are to be negotiated later, said Chairwoman Karen Knudsen.

The absence of a multiyear contract was the reason former Superintendent Herman Aizawa announced his resignation in February. He said he needed more time to make a difference.

At Aizawa's annual evaluation in December, the board had decided to keep him on after his four-year contract expired on April 29, but without a multiyear contract.

The board was reviewing its relationship with him when he made the announcement. Aizawa, the first superintendent to receive a four-year contract, left the post June 30.

The decision to offer LeMahieu the maximum four-year contract was approved by all 11 board members present except John Compton, who abstained.

"I'm delighted we have an agreement," said LeMahieu, just hours before he was to catch a flight back to Delaware. "It shows the full commitment of the board to the direction we've set for each other, and my commitment to them."

Offering LeMahieu the maximum term signaled the board's confidence in him and the reforms he expects to bring about, said Vice Chairwoman Kelly King.

It was one of the signals LeMahieu had sought going into negotiations.

Earlier, LeMahieu said a contract did not matter much to him personally, but it mattered a lot to the public schools and their chance to be successful.

"The system needs to receive a signal that the board and I are on the same page, that we're committed to each other and that the leadership situation is stable," he said.

"We're in for the long haul," said board member Winston Sakurai. "We have confidence in him, and hopefully that will trickle down to the teachers. We want the teachers to put their trust in him."

During a short visit to Maui on Wednesday, teachers and members of the community showed a great deal of enthusiasm for LeMahieu's appointment, King said.

While he supports LeMahieu and expects to see positive changes in the future, Compton said he did not believe a contract was necessary.

Among the issues LeMahieu had raised before entering into negotiations were moving expenses and pension.

State employees need to work in the system for at least 10 years to be vested. No schools superintendent has lasted that long. "I think that's a fair concern to be able to have some sort of retirement (plan)," Knudsen said. The board has never had to deal with those types of issues before because LeMahieu is the first superintendent to come from outside the system and the state.

Former Superintendent Charles Toguchi had taken a short hike from the Legislature to his new office in the Liliuokalani Building. Aizawa, formerly a deputy superintendent, had moved from an office down the hall.

Most executives in the private sector would have some type of compensation package, including moving expenses and housing allowance, Knudsen said. "We hope to be able to come to some agreement -- we don't want him to be hurt financially."

While salary is an issue, LeMahieu understands that the superintendent's $90,041 salary is set by statute, Knudsen said. Gov. Ben Cayetano's offer of help in that area was a welcome surprise to board members.

Yesterday, Cayetano said he will again push to get the superintendent's salary raised. That proposal was quashed by lawmakers this year, but Cayetano said that he will resurrect it for next year's legislative session.

To attract top-notch candidates for schools superintendent, the state has to be ready to pay a salary that's competitive with what similar school districts on the mainland offer, the governor said.

The superintendent of Swampscott Public Schools in Massachusetts, for example, is offered a salary of $85,000 to $95,000, but is responsible only for 2,400 students in six schools in grades K-6.

Here, the school chief is responsible for 189,000 students in 247 schools and 28,000 employees.

"We want to be competitive," said Knudsen. "We want to pave the way for all superintendents as well so we don't run into this situation of having our hands tied."

Star-Bulletin reporter Mike Yuen
contributed to this report.

---

School board panel
will look into Aizawa’s
job placement

Much of the controversy arises from
interpretation of department regulation.

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

A school board committee will examine whether department regulations were properly followed in the recent appointment of former school Superintendent Herman Aizawa as principal of a community school for adults.

Critics say the appointment had the appearance of a conflict of interest because he was appointed to the post by then-acting Superintendent Don Nugent while Aizawa was out of town.

Aizawa had appointed Nugent to his job.

"We've never had a superintendent who appointed himself," said Karen Knudsen, board chairwoman.

Much of the controversy arises from interpretation of department regulation.

Albert Yoshii, acting personnel director, told board members Aizawa's placement is authorized by regulations.

He said that while Aizawa had resigned, he was entitled to be placed in another position where he is tenured and qualified.

"We feel we try to treat everyone equally and to what they're entitled to according to the regulation," Yoshii said.

Board member Kelly King criticized the regulation, saying it does not specify who would appoint the superintendent to a position, particularly in his absence. The board stopped appointing principals a few years ago, leaving it up to district superintendents.

Resignation from an appointed position is considered an involuntary demotion, and according to regulation, Aizawa qualifies to be paid his previous salary of $90,041 for a year, Yoshii said.

Knudsen said, "He's fully qualified, no question. But we need to make sure procedures were followed absolutely above board."

She said that if something "untoward" has occurred in this case, the board will review it and could seek a ruling from the Ethics Commission.