State forum criticized
as unduly political

Legislative meeting in Waipahu
to focus on education

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A forum sponsored by legislators tonight at Waipahu High School that will feature a presentation by Superintendent Pat Hamamoto could be an improper use of state personnel, Board of Education member Laura Thielen contended yesterday.

"If the intent of the meeting is to campaign, I'm concerned about the commingling of state resources," she said. "I think we now have questions regarding the motivation of that meeting."

Thielen raised the issue at a board committee meeting yesterday. At the time, she thought the meeting, to be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m., was one of the community forums planned by the Board of Education as mandated by the Reinventing Education Act of 2004.

Instead it is a "Waipahu Legislative Town Meeting" planned by six Waipahu legislators. Hamamoto and House Education Chairman Roy Takumi (D, Pearl City-Pacific Palisades) were invited to attend and will be making a presentation on the new law. Principals from several local schools were also invited, according to a news release from Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu (D, Waipahu-Waikele).

But Thielen and Board of Education colleague Shelton Jim On are concerned that the meeting and similar forums that are being planned by the Board of Education could be used to promote partisan political campaigns.

Under the new law, which encourages parent and community involvement in the schools, the board is supposed to hold community forums in addition to its formal meetings.

"They are not political at all," said board member Denise Matsumoto. "The board is nonpartisan. We need to let the community know about the school community councils so we can excite them and encourage their involvement."

Thielen said she was concerned because most of the meetings will be held in the fall and because the Hawaii State Teachers Association was considering a similar set of forums as a means of helping "elect Democratic candidates." She produced copies of e-mails between union employees last month, including one that indicated that "the key is to get Pat Hamamoto to attend to give and update or status report on where the DOE is on Act 51."

Hamamoto released her own set of e-mails showing that she agreed on July 24 to co-sponsor the HSTA forums but rescinded that immediately after department spokesman Greg Knudsen pointed out on July 26 that the forums appeared to be "more than a simple partnership with HSTA to share information on what we are doing to implement Act 51" and instead were politically motivated.

But Hamamoto said she plans to attend tonight's meeting, to which she was invited on June 16, just as she has appeared at other town meetings at the request of legislators. Hamamoto said she sticks to education at such gatherings.

Board member Matsumoto said the various meetings are separate.

"It's unfortunate that what happened was that three different meetings were to be held, one by us, the second by HSTA and third is a legislators' town meeting, and somebody meshed them all together," Matsumoto said.

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