[ OUR OPINION ]
Our choices for school
board representativesWith the demands for improvements in the public school system, the election for the state Board of Education are of heightened importance this year. Perhaps because of the attention, the race has drawn strong candidates for the eight seats that are up for grabs on the 13-member board.
THE ISSUE Voters will choose eight new members of the Board of Education on Nov. 5.
Six candidates are vying for three at-large seats on Oahu. In addition, one new member each will be chosen in the Windward, Leeward and Central Oahu districts. A special election to fill an at-large vacancy also will be conducted. All voters on Oahu are eligible to cast ballots in each of these races. Meanwhile, all neighbor island voters get to choose one of two candidates in the Maui District election.
The Star-Bulletin interviewed all 16 contenders for the board, on which members serve with no pay. They were asked to voice opinions and ideas on a number of issues, including decentralizing the school system and the board itself, budgetary autonomy, school vouchers, disadvantaged students, school repairs and curriculum. Discussions were lively, passionate and stimulating. Candidates had inventive and fresh strategies for rejuvenating public education.
To help voters make their choices, we present our endorsements for Board of Education. Not all of the candidates we selected agree with this newspaper's editorial positions, but their desire to serve and their intelligence and ingenuity were winning.
>> Oahu at-large: Shannon Ajifu, Karen Knudsen, Randall Yee. Knudsen, who has been on the board since 1990, continues to maintain a can-do attitude about changes. Her experience, knowledge and steadying influence are valuable assets for the board. Ajifu's 38 years in the school system as teacher and administrator helps her to understand the complexities of governance and provide a bridge between the classroom and the community. Yee, an attorney with an accounting degree, looks to channel more money to students and teachers by identifying goals and sees charter schools as necessary in diverse paths toward learning.
>> At-large special election: Garrett Toguchi. A board member from 1996 to 2000, Toguchi was appointed earlier this year to fill a seat after Donna Ikeda resigned to run for lieutenant governor. As the executive director of the Arc in Hawaii, a nonprofit group that aids mentally retarded people, the public school graduate brings good perspective to special-education services.
>> Central District: Grace Dixon. Although a neophyte to political office, Dixon has studied the school system and volunteers for community services on several fronts. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, she is a strong advocate for public libraries and believes that expanding beyond traditional curricula to such areas as vocational training, arts and culinary skills with the participation of businesses will benefit more children.
>> Windward District: Laura Thielen. A lawyer who runs her own business providing professional services to nonprofit groups and government agencies, Thielen also volunteers at her daughters' public school. To get the public and lawmakers to sign on to increased funding for schools, she says education officials must first show they are using money efficiently. She would welcome entrepreneurial thinking and partnerships with the community to develop school support.
>> Leeward District: Karen Gold James. James' experience in teaching was at a public school in one of the most disadvantaged areas on Oahu. The mother of two children holds certificates in special and regular education and in art. The knowledgeable, articulate candidate believes schools should share and trade resources to best fit their goals. Recognizing that family support is key to a child's success, she advocates a network of mentors and volunteers to help children from broken homes.
>> Maui District: Kelly Takaya King. The project coordinator for Hui Malama Learning Center took her two children from private to public schools when she discovered that public high schools on Maui had stronger honors programs. Parental involvement is key to education, she says, but students themselves also need to be involved. King, a board member from 1991 to 1994, says neighbor island parents, students and education needs should get more attention than they do now.
BACK TO TOP
Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comMary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4790; mpoole@starbulletin.com
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (USPS 249460) is published daily by
John Flanagan, Contributing Editor 294-3533; jflanagan@starbulletin.com
Oahu Publications at 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
Periodicals postage paid at Honolulu, Hawaii. Postmaster: Send address changes to
Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802.
