[ BOARD OF EDUCATION ]

7 BOE seats are
up for grabs

14 candidates have varying views
on how best to improve education here

At least two new members of the Board of Education will be elected Nov. 2, as 14 candidates vie for seven seats on the statewide body.

The chief task facing the board next year is to oversee implementation of the new education reform law that gives principals more control of funding and creates councils at each campus to give parents a say in their neighborhood schools.

Chairman Breene Harimoto, elected to the Leeward Oahu seat just two years ago, is committed to that effort. He also wants to improve working conditions and salaries to address the teacher and principal shortage.

Harimoto is being challenged by Shad Kane of Kapolei, a retired police officer who wants to break the statewide system into multiple school boards and also ensure that Leeward schools get their fair share of resources.

The Oahu at-large race, with six candidates running for three seats, features some well-known names, including just one incumbent, Garrett Toguchi. The Palolo resident has been a voice on the board for students with disabilities, at-risk youth and Hawaiian language programs.

Cec Heftel, who spent 10 years in Congress, said he wants to be an advocate for teachers and direct funds to the classroom. Former state Rep. Lei Ahu Isa also wants to get more money to classrooms, as well as shrink class size.

Robert Midkiff, philanthropist and community volunteer, is committed to helping principals become entrepreneurial leaders and to carrying out the new education reforms.

Guy Kaulukukui, a former social studies teacher at Kamehameha Schools, said he will bring a Hawaiian perspective to the board and support charter schools. Darwin Ching, an attorney, wants to establish local school boards and improve discipline in schools.

In the Honolulu district, preschool teacher Denise Matsumoto is running against former board member Keith Sakata. Matsumoto has focused on literacy and setting standards for what students must learn. Sakata did not submit a candidate statement.

The Big Island and Kauai seats are voted on by all neighbor islanders as a group. Margaret Cox, who just retired after 30 years as a Kauai teacher and principal, wants to focus on issues that affect students, such as teacher pay and training, and better facilities. She is vying with Mitsugi Nakashima, another veteran public educator and school board member from 1988 to 2000.

On the Big Island, Herbert Wata-nabe, a board member since 1996 and a retired business specialist for the public schools, is facing veteran teacher Nadia Davies-Quintana of Kailua-Kona, who wants to reduce teacher turnover.