The four major candidates for governor differ on how to reform public education, with two candidates calling for dividing the Board of Education into smaller groups. Candidates differ
Sparks fly over campaign reform
on education
Case calls Hirono chicken
By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com
Republican Linda Lingle and Democrat Ed Case are supporting plans to split the school board.
Lingle, who has been stressing the board division since her first run for governor in 1998, said the board should be divided into seven locally elected boards.
"Parents, teachers and community members could then control their own schools," Lingle said.
Turning the school board to local control was also put in the state GOP platform.
Case, who supported a call in the state House earlier this year to divide the school board into 15 districts, said he, like Lingle, wants the board divided into seven smaller boards.
Case, however, said there should still be a statewide school board, which would be composed of representatives of the seven district boards.
Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, who, unlike her opponents, has not yet come out with a formal blueprint for education, said more school boards would lead to more bureaucracy and little help for student learning.
Linda Lingle:
Favors dividing the Department of Education into 7 local school boards
Ed Case:
Wants no limit on the number of charter schools the state would support
Mazie Hirono:
Says more boards will not positively affect student learning
Andy Anderson:
Advocates an appointed board rather than an elected one
Democrat D.G. "Andy" Anderson, the fourth major candidate for governor, wants an appointed school board with a school superintendent also appointed by the governor.Anderson is also pushing for a lottery to expand the money for public schools.
In an interview, Hirono said that like Anderson, she favors an appointed school board instead of an elected one, but said that did not appear to be politically feasible.
"The real question is. How will this positively impact student learning? I don't think creating more bureaucracy will positively impact student learning," Hirono said.
Lingle, however, dismissed Hirono's criticism, saying that "this would be a major change, but it would be a positive change ... but just pointing out problems with it is not a reason not to do it."
"What she (Hirono) is saying is backward and resistant to change. I don't think the system is perfect, but saying this would add to the bureaucracy is not a reason."
Lingle said the public school system already has local school districts and that including school boards would not add to the bureaucracy.
In his education plan, Case calls for strong support of charter schools, including lifting the cap on the number of charter schools the state would support.
That point is also similar to Lingle's position, which is also to "enthusiastically support alternative programs."
The Hawaii State Teachers Association, the union that represents the public school teachers, however, is not looking for any candidate to divvy up the school board. The union instead wants candidates to promise to spend more money on public education.
"What is important is to increase funding; funding is the most important issue" Karen Ginoza, HSTA president, said.
While mainland school districts spend 24 percent of their state and local taxes for schools, Hawaii only spends 14.8 percent, Ginoza said.
Also, she added, the Education Commission of the States recently released a report saying that changing the structure of school boards has not made a difference in the performance of the schools.
Ginoza also said that while the HSTA has not come up with a formal position on the split school boards, she cautions that the separate school boards would need their own educational specialists to help draw up individual plans.
"If you have local boards, you would need staff for each of those boards," Ginoza said.
State Office of Elections
