Newly retired schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said her decision to retire was a year in the making and had nothing to do with the governor's initial rejection of the Department of Education's proposal to end Furlough Fridays.

Far from feeling defeated, Hamamoto said yesterday she was excited by the union's acceptance of the proposal last week and “;felt a whole lot better”; after Wednesday's meeting with the governor's staff members, who said they were open to the proposal and would crunch some numbers.

“;I didn't feel defeated,”; said Hamamoto, who resigned last Monday. “;I definitely never felt like there was no hope—always hopeful that you keep working at it and you keep looking for solutions. ... It's like putting together a 15,000-piece puzzle.”;

  Pat Hamamoto opens up about resignation

 

The former schools superintendent spoke for the first time today about her resignation and retirement.

[ Watch ]

 

Wearing a red-and-green aloha shirt and bluejeans, the 65-year-old career educator looked relaxed and comfortable yesterday in her new role as a retiree as she spoke to the news media for the first time since her resignation became public.

Although some members of the Board of Education expressed surprise at her departure, she insisted her decision was far from precipitous.

“;It was something that comes to mind at about this time of your life: 'How will I start to exit?'”; she said.

But the timing was wrong a year ago, she said. Nor was it right six months ago, when she had to cut 200 DOE jobs due to a shrinking budget, Hamamoto said.

Part of her preparation was to ensure there was a leadership team in place, she said. Hamamoto expressed confidence in acting Superintendent Kathy Matayoshi, a lawyer and former director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, who was appointed her deputy on July 17. Matayoshi and BOE Chairman Garrett Toguchi are scheduled to address the news media at 3 p.m. today.

“;We've done a lot of the hard things as the budget has started to change over the years,”; she said. “;I believe that with the leadership team in place ... this would be the time to turn over the reins, or as they say, pass the torch to the next generation of leaders.”;

Hamamoto said she wants to spend more time with family, including her daughter in New Mexico. She also relishes a role as a reader and storyteller to children at the public library.

“;I will really miss going to the schools ... and watching the little ones,”; she said.

Hamamoto, who was superintendent since 2001, said her tenure has “;always been a learning experience.”;

When asked how she would assess Hawaii's public schools, Hamamoto, a former high school social studies teacher, replied it is important to look at the context—that more than 50 percent of its students are either economically disadvantaged, special-needs challenged or speak English as a second language. She also noted that the system spans seven islands and ranges from urban Honolulu to remote rural areas such as Lanai and Niihau.

Despite the barriers that need to be taken care of “;before you get to the learning piece,”; she points proudly to steady improvement in student proficiency scores.

Among her accomplishments, Hamamoto mentioned:

» Compliance with the Felix consent decree to build a system of care for special-needs students.

» Advancement of standards-based education.

» Establishment of a model early-childhood learning center at Linapuni Elementary School.

“;Throughout all of this, what was really clear was that the focus was always about what's going on in the classroom and how to support teaching and learning and to help students be prepared and what they're going to need to be college-career ready,”; she said.

“;It's like trying to change the tires on a car that's rolling along.”;