LIHU’E — As superintendent of the only educational system to cover an entire state in the nation, Paul LeMahieu said such a structure has as many benefits as it does problems. LeMahieu used his time as keynote speaker of the
LIHU’E — As superintendent of the only educational system to cover an entire state in the nation, Paul LeMahieu said such a structure has as many benefits as it does problems.
LeMahieu used his time as keynote speaker of the Kaua’i Chamber of Commerce’s general membership meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the current condition of Hawaii’s public schools, and the challenges he and other administrators are encountering.
After arriving 30 minutes late because of a delayed flight, LeMahieu began by describing the reasons for his optimism for the Department of Education, where he has worked in his role since September 1998.
The Felix Consent Decree, which required schools to provide services for students with special-education services, hit Hawai’i hard, he said, because it did not have as many programs already in place as other states.
“Here in Hawai’i, we had to build a special-education program that ought to have been there in the first place,” he said.
And although the state was slow in beginning its effort to comply with the Felix decree, LeMahieu said the last 18 months have seen vast improvement, thanks largely to school administrators and faculty.
“Today, over 60 percent of the state is” in compliance with the decree, he said. “And we have the schools to thank for that.”
After years of struggling to meet national levels, LeMahieu said Hawaii’s public-school students have made steady progress in annual testing. In both the math and reading sections of the Stanford Aptitude Test, students have improved average scores compared to the rest of the United States.
“It’s starting not to look like annual fluctuation, but genuine accomplishment,” he said. “But in none of these areas are we yet satisfied.”
Among the issues on his agenda for the Legislature this year, LeMahieu said ensuring fair and adequate compensation for teachers was toward the top. That includes a competitive salary, recruitment and ongoing training, he said.
“We’re working hard to try to convince those in charge to understand the plight of the education profession,” he said. “They are not being adequately compensated.”
With 60 percent of Hawaii’s public-school administrators approaching the age of retirement, LeMahieu said the state needs to make an effort to retain some of those leaders and to prepare the next generation at the same time.
“That is either the largest opportunity you can imagine, or the biggest nightmare possible,” he said.
Personnel issues aside, LeMahieu said another problem being addressed is the maintenance and repair of school facilities. Calling facility upkeep an “education issue,” LeMahieu said the state approach of spreading money “wide and thin” does nothing to address the problems.
“It does not dig deep anywhere,” he said. “It does not get the job done anywhere.”
LeMahieu said the state’s schools have $640 million in backlogged repairs, and that a different approach is needed to improve schools’ images. Instead of addressing surface problems of many different campuses, the money would be better spent if it was used on fewer campuses to a larger extent, he said.
“To select certain places, and then do the whole job,” he suggested.
But the change LeMahieu emphasized most is the need to give the Department of Education a “reasonable” amount of authority over its affairs, in an effort to keep it from being “just another part of state government.”
As an example, LeMahieu told the audience about a storeroom on O’ahu at which teachers are required to go through a lengthy process to obtain items, and the items sent out are commonly the wrong ones or in poor condition. But after talking with a state auditor, LeMahieu said he was told state laws made the storeroom mandatory.
“Even though a teacher could go to the nearest Longs or Wal-Mart and get exactly what they need for cheaper,” he said.
Similar issues have contributed to the problems with state playgrounds, where the schools were given no other feasible solution but to prohibit students from using them.
“A good solution is not just to wrap yellow tape around it,” he said.
By using people from various groups within the school system, LeMahieu said the Department of Education would be able to solve many problems that are confounded by the state’s rules and legislation.
When he had finished his speech, LeMahieu took questions. He was asked the inevitable question on his feeling of the likelihood of a teacher strike.
LeMahieu said he had been anticipating an agreement between the Hawai’i State Teachers Association and the state, but such an event seems less likely as the days go by.
“I was optimistic that they won’t” strike, he said. I’ve now downgraded it to hopeful.”
Because Governor Ben Cayetano is not directly involved with state education, LeMahieu said attempts to reach an agreement on pay raises is especially difficult.
“If you’re going to go into collective bargaining, you’d better talk to someone who hopes the business stays open,” LeMahieu said. “This is a time, this is a moment when education is more important than if the hedges get trimmed. But that’s another problem with us being just another part of the state government.”
Although the immediate future of Hawai’i education is somewhat in doubt, LeMahieu said public support can prove to be an invaluable tool in improving the state’s education system. He said he would try to encourage continued contact and interaction with the business community across Kaua’i and the rest of the state.
“I have plenty of work ahead of me,” he said. “We all have plenty of work ahead of us. But I’m very optimistic.”
Staff writer Matt Smylie can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) and mailto:msmylie@pulitzer.net
