Honolulu Star-Bulletin
General Election GuideBoard of Education We asked candidates in this race to address the following subject areas. Their responses are below.
1) How will you make the public school system enhance the skills needed for Hawaii to compete in the next millennium?
2) What plans do you have to make individual schools more accountable to the public?
3) What would you do to get the best teachers in our public schools?
BIG ISLAND
Robert A. Fox
Age: 52
Occupation: School board member1. The BOE should set standards, not stick its finger up to see which way the wind blows. An unambiguous devotion to quality (in learning and in behavior) can be made to pervade the system from Superintendent to kindergartener. The development of skills will come in response to high expectations.
2. The BOE has pinned its hopes on SCBM. As Chairman of the Student Services Committee, I am conducting a statewide survey of satisfaction with SCBM. If necessary, new or altered BOE policies will result. For instance, I wonder whether we should formally indicate the areas which SCBM should control.
3. More money is only part of the answer. We should reconfigure the DOE to reflect the fact that teachers know, and are generally good at, their job. They need support and respect, not supervision and disrespect. A day in the classroom would open the eyes of a lot of parents.
Herbert S. Watanabe
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired Deparment of Education business specialist1. I would promote and support the upgrading and enhancement of basic skills in language, math, sciences, arts, technology, social sciences; upgrading of the mastery of our English language, particularly writing, reading, speaking and thinking skills and have course offerings for all levels of students which are relevant, meaningful, and purposeful.
2. Support and develop guidelines that will enable school principals to account for use of allotted funds; improvement of teaching and achievement based on national and/or school-developed measuring tools; degree of school/community collaboration; improvement of curriculum; addressing and reducing disciplinary problems.
3. Support and develop policies that attract and keep well-trained, enlightened teachers by providing better entry level salary. Work cooperatively with Department of Education and teacher unions to develop policy to motivate excellence and provide appropriate recognition.
HONOLULU
John Bauer
Age: 37
Occupation: Student1. Three things I feel our children must prepare for is higher population, fewer natural resources, and more damage to the environment... I would teach parental responsibility, our graduates must be responsible for their eventual children's upbringing... (Also) I would ensure graduates are aware of options to sources of power and other resources.
2. Somehow getting citizens and parents more involved in the learning process. The public should find out what's going on with the schools and help make our educational system one to be proud of. I think the public schools should extend into more lives outside the students and their parents.
3. I would start by making sure the graduates from our high schools, those students going on to become teachers themselves, have the best education available. Involve interested students in the teaching process themselves by assisting the teaching staff more.
Lex BrodieDeclined to respond
Ron Mata
Age: 57
Occupation: Administrator, training and safety, private industry1. Computer literacy is needed for the student of the '90s and next millennium. This necessary skill should be taught at varying levels but at a minimum, the basic knowledge of principles and keyboarding. Basic educational skills need to improve due to rapid changes in employment requirements and technology.
2. Individual schools are accountable to the Superintendent of Education, who in turn, is accountable to the BOE. Thus, accountability to the public is via the elected BOE members. Inclusion of School Community Based Management groups also make such schools accountable to the public. Expand SCBMs to more schools.
3. Beginning teachers should be critiqued and evaluated through their first three years. Seminars and continuing education should be options to improve their methodology. Traditional teaching techniques may have to be modified for present day students. Pay is another consideration if we want to keep the best teachers.
Denise Matsumoto
Age: 35
Occupation: Member, Board of Education; preschool teacher1. I've always believed Hawaii needed clearer statewide expectations of the skills students must achieve to be successful. I will continue the work we've already accomplished such as adoption of the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, policies requiring implementation of those Standards, a new grading policy based on the achievement of those Standards.
2. The policy on the implementation of the Performance Standards requires each school align their curriculum and share that with the parents. We now have some good, strong policies for our schools. The next step is to monitor the implementation and require schools show what they are doing and be able to prove success.
3. We must provide work settings that have the equipment available for the teachers such as textbooks, computers and training to use the latest technology. We must provide them with a safe work environment. Finally, we must provide a higher rate of pay, especially for the entry levels.
AT LARGE
Dan Anderson
Age: 54
Occupation: Evaluation research1. I would reinforce the "old" skills: reading, writing, computing and participating in a diverse and democratic society. In addition, I would promote the use of new technology and support a continuous process of assessing and improving education, that would involve collaboration with: higher education, business, and parent and community groups.
2. I support the decentralization of decision-making and accountability. Individual schools should be held accountable for the quality of instruction and interaction between teachers and students. However, we must hold ourselves accountable for providing schools with (a) the resources to support quality education and (b) the standards to judge that quality.
3. I would support quality pre-service and inservice training, in collaboration with the University of Hawai'i, and provide good salaries and rewarding working conditions. We must reinforce factors that are associated with quality: (a) clarity of purpose, (b) commitment, (c) high performance standards, (d) responsibility, (e) recognition, and (f) team work.
Thomas K.Y. Kam
Age: 40
Occupation: University professor1. a) Restore BOE objective of developing overall policies and directives. Stop micromanaging the schools. b) Incorporate recommendations of organizations such as the Business Roundtable regarding desired competencies. c) constitutional amendment mandating at least 30 percent of state budget for education and removing the ability of . . . government to micromanage schools. d) Give the educational professionals autonomy.
2. a) Give each school freedom and autonomy to implement the policies and directives of the BOE. b) Request the school's SCBM council which represents all segments of the school's community to prepare an annual evaluation of the school's effectiveness. They are in the best position to judge the educational needs of their students.
3. a) Pay them a comparable salary with other professionals and their mainland counterparts. b) Provide adequate facilities and funding to carry out their objectives. c) Provide complete freedom and autonomy to implement overall policies and directives of the BOE. Stop micromanaging the schools.
Marcia Linville
Age: Declined
Occupation: Librarian, teacher, storyteller, consultant1. By ensuring that each child is educated to the top of his/her ability mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. By holding schools, teachers and parents accountable for their actions, and the success or lack of it as demonstrated by the child's achievements. By identifying and implementing instruction in skills needed for next millenium.
2. Individual schools will be more accountable to the public when the public demands accountability from individual schools. Recent legislation enables parents and communities to become involved. Communication with, and education of the public is necessary . . . Honest and timely responses to problems raised by public are vital.
3. We have some of the best teachers in our public schools. We need continually updated education, exchange programs with recognized superior programs, adequate compensation, recognition of superior performance, smaller classes, and flexible programs for the hiring of experts in special areas. Ask the teachers and parents this question.
Noemi L. Pendleton
Age: 28
Occupation: Account manager1. Administer objective testing. Provide motivational, positive attitude courses. Improve student-teacher ratio.
2. Publish test scores.
3. Offer competitive salaries.
Garrett Toguchi
Age: 35
Occupation: Operations manager, The ARC in Hawaii1. We can't "make" the system work, but we can increase the opportunities needed for the system to work. By working more closely with the governor, legislature, teachers, administrators, community, and families, we can work towards common goals in order to build an organized, uniform, and adequately funded system.
2. It's the community that needs to be held accountable. The responsibility for building a better school lies not only with the school, but with everyone that can contribute to improving the quality of life in our communities. Schools should be judged by what they do best versus what they can't do.
3. Advocate for a more competitive compensation system; work towards building a nationally renown training program; support the university's efforts to get more local students into education so that we can get Hawaii's best and brightest to build Hawaii's future leaders.
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