BOE Kauai candidates
meet in forum

Both oppose Lingle's plan
to create several school districts

Candidates for the Kauai seat on the Board of Education, one of the tightest races this year, meet in a forum tonight on public television as part of Island Insights Election 2004.

Island Insights Election 2004 What: Board of Education televised candidate forum Who: Kauai and Honolulu district candidates TV: PBS Hawaii (KHET) When: Today, 7:30-8 p.m.

Margaret "Maggie" Cox, a veteran teacher and principal who retired in December, is running against Mitsugi "Mits" Nakashima, a retired public educator who served 12 years on the board. They are vying to replace Sherwood Hara, who is not seeking re-election.

Cox and Nakashima both support the new education reform law passed by the Legislature and oppose Gov. Linda Lingle's plan to break up the school system into several school boards.

"I don't support the breaking up of the state into multiple school districts, because I don't think it will work," Nakashima said. "It won't help the cause of public education. All it will do is create another bureaucratic layer."

Agreed Cox: "We need to focus on quality and the classrooms. ... Focusing money on the schools, that's the only thing that's going to make a difference."

Also appearing on tonight's show is Denise Matsumoto, who has served on the board since 1988. Her opponent in the race for the Honolulu district seat, Keith Sakata, was invited but did not participate in the forum.

Matsumoto said the education reform law, known as Act 51, will help involve parents and give school communities more say over funding and academic plans on each campus.

"Everything will be very transparent at the school level and the state and district level -- how much money is there, what do we need to put our focus on," she said. The forum is sponsored by the Star-Bulletin and Hawaii Public Television and will air from 7:30 to 8 p.m. on KHET.