Sherwood Hara, the Kaua’i and Ni’ihau representative on the state Board of Education, stands solidly behind state Department of Education superintendent Paul LaMahieu. So do Kaua’i district superintendent Daniel Hamada and the Kaua’i school principals Hara has spoken to, the
Sherwood Hara, the Kaua’i and Ni’ihau representative on the state Board of Education, stands solidly behind state Department of Education superintendent Paul LaMahieu.
So do Kaua’i district superintendent Daniel Hamada and the Kaua’i school principals Hara has spoken to, the board member said.
The school administrators “seemed to feel” that LeMahieu, who underwent an evaluation recently by the board, “was taking the DOE in the right direction,” said Hara.
“I support him. I think he has a vision for what our department should be headed toward,” Hara said. “Like everything else, he has his strengths and so-called weaknesses, and some of those things have been pointed out to him, or at least shared with him. And he has taken note of that, and is going to be trying to work on those areas, or at least one area.”
That area for improvement, Hara said, is in developing better relationships with some of the people around him.
LeMahieu began creating academic standards and student accountability for meeting those standards, and during the 2001-02 school year it is time to see if he “can walk the talk,” Hara said.
The standards and accountability “are very important things” for the state school system, Hara said, and he supports LeMahieu’s “vision quest” in those matters.
“Within the next year, we’ll see. I think that’s when the rubber meets the road,” Hara said.
At the end of the upcoming school year, LaMahieu will be at the end of his four-year contract and will again be up for evaluation by the board.
Voters elect board members to four-year terms, and the board in turn selects a superintendent to lead the state’s public school system.
Hara, believing LaMahieu would like to stay on as superintendent beyond next year, said the board may offer him a contract of between two and four years.
“He’s got the momentum going and would like to follow through on it and see where it goes. And we’re supporting him in that effort,” said Hara.
With proper communication and support, and proper policy decisions by the board, Hara said, LeMahieu should be able to move the Department of Education forward.
Earlier this summer, LaMahieu emerged from a board evaluation with a rating of “more than satisfactory.”
“I think he’s got a good team,” including Hamada, said Hara. “I think, if he continues on this track,” LeMahieu will be successful, Hara added.
“I would say a majority of us, or all of us, are supportive of the superintendent. There may be issues where we may differ with him, but I think overall the board is very supportive of him,” Hara said.
“I support him because I like what he shared with me in terms of how and what he wants to do. I think it’s refreshing in terms of his enthusiasm,” Hara continued. “I think that he has some things that, like all of us, he needs to look at, to address, to improve his own so-called relationships with people.
“But, as far as the vision for the department, and himself as the leader of the department, and in terms of working with the board, I think his attitude and his responses are very positive and, to me, very satisfactory.”
The board evaluated LeMahieu “in a proper light,” Hara said.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
