Charter school’s woes
prompt investigation

Parents raise questions about
governance at a new Waianae site

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Four months ago, parents and community members fulfilled a dream by creating the first charter school in Waianae.

But problems began to surface soon after the school's inception:

>> The superintendent of Ka Waihona O Ka Na'auao was terminated by the charter school's board in early September.

>> Two teachers and an educational assistant were also terminated due to budgetary constraints.

>> Later, 13 of 80 students were pulled out of the school by their parents during the school's intercession period amid governance issues facing the school.

>> There is a dispute over who should control the school. An interim board has taken actions since the school was granted its charter in June 2001, but according to the school's governing documents, the interim board was supposed to be out of existence more than a year ago. Elections for a permanent 15-member school board were supposed to have been held.

In response to parents' concerns, members of the New Century Charter Schools Committee plan to address several issues facing Ka Waihona on Wednesday at a 3:30 p.m. meeting at the Queen Liliuokalani Building.

Several parents have raised questions about governance, financial management of the school's state and federal funds and the termination of Superintendent Alvin Parker, two teachers and an educational assistant.

On Oct. 30, state Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto sent a letter to the interim board's chairwoman, Ho'oipo DeCambra, requesting information about the school's financial operations and personnel management decisions that have been made by the board.

Board of Education Charter Schools Committee chairwoman Shannon Ajifu said: "These parents have concerns that sound very legitimate to us. It's our obligation to check."

A total of $9,000 in state funds will be withheld from the charter school until the board responds to the superintendent's requests, Ajifu said.

Also, a financial audit has also been proposed as a result of questions raised by parents, according to Ed Koyama, budget director and former auditor for the state Department of Education.

DeCambra said she was not surprised by the letter from Hamamoto.

Parker and a group of disgruntled parents are sabotaging the school, said DeCambra.

"It's really causing a lot of disruption and splitting of the entire community," she added. "The children are supposed to be the most important things on our minds right now."

Before Parker was fired, the school located at 85-4229 Waianae Valley Road faced a projected $173,000 deficit for the 2002-2003 school year. The school was budgeted $245,000, but projected expenditures through the school year were $418,116. Board members said they faced the danger of shutting down the school in February if reductions were not made.

Since the two teachers and an educational assistant were terminated in October, the estimated deficit has been amended to $20,000 to $25,000, said Hayden Burgess, vice president of Ka Waihona O Ka Na'auao, a 21st Century Charter School.

The school opened on July 25 with an enrollment of 80 students in kindergarten through third grade. On Sept. 6, the interim board terminated Parker because of concerns over his alleged mismanagement of school funds. Since Parker's termination, a management team has been hired to run the school.

However, some parents believe Parker was terminated illegally because the interim board ousted him and a full, properly constituted school board was not in existence to take action.

Parent Glenn Philhower said he and seven other community members were elected to become part of the permanent local school board in a meeting held in August. But DeCambra said no election was ever held.

Interim board members contend some parents were nominated to become part of the permanent school board but that no election was held.

Burgess said a vote wasn't taken "because there were no motions made" at the August meeting.

Between Sept. 15, 2001, and July 15, Parker was contracted by the interim board as a planner to fulfill a number of tasks such as the development of the school's curriculum, implementing a school budget and identifying a fund-raising approach to meet expenses for capital expenditures.

Sometime between February and March, Parker was selected by the board as the school's superintendent as board members rushed to form the school, Burgess said.

Burgess added that Parker was not qualified to hold the superintendent's position.

"Instead, at the 11th hour, the board of directors was left with no other option but to select the contractor to act as interim/acting superintendent of education as a last resort," said Burgess in the written statement.

"In hindsight, I would have done it differently. I would have paid more attention to his activities at an earlier period," he said.

Parker said the interim board's actions came as a surprise. "It came as a complete shock that this happened to me," Parker said.

He said he couldn't even prepare a budget because the board wouldn't tell him how much money was available. He also said he never got the authority to sign checks for the school.

Parker said he believes he was terminated by the interim board because he questioned the board on the school's budget.

According to the school's detailed implementation plan, a local school board was to be formed 90 days after the charter school is granted, Parker said.

Because a local school board has yet to be put into place, "the interim board maintains control," he said.

DOE charter schools program specialist Chuck Higgins and two others recently visited Ka Waihona to evaluate the school.

Higgins said he is "working through the process" to resolve the governance issue at Ka Waihona.

Meanwhile, the Hawaii State Teachers Association has filed a grievance against the interim board on behalf of the two teachers who were fired from Ka Waihona, said President Karen Ginoza. Four teachers remain at the school.