• Kaua‘i’s public schools Kaua‘i’s public schools Gov. Linda Lingle’s calls for school reform are timely. While our public schools on Kaua‘i are making good progress in meeting federal standards, the problem is they should have met the standards years
• Kaua‘i’s public schools
Kaua‘i’s public schools
Gov. Linda Lingle’s calls for school reform are timely. While our public schools on Kaua‘i are making good progress in meeting federal standards, the problem is they should have met the standards years ago.
The governor is saying that a big part of the problem is how our school system’s administration is set up. She says that on the Mainland schools with up to 75 percent of students from homes with poverty income are succeeding. This is because the school’s principals are given their own funds to spend. They don’t have to budget according to a statewide budget plan.
Hawai‘i is the only school system in the nation that is run on a statewide basis. Many school systems on the Mainland are funded locally. In other words, it would be like the school’s budget would come under the County of Kaua‘i.
The statewide school system is a carry-over from the days of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, and from Territorial days, and the system is in some ways archaic. Even with modern telecommunications it is a long way from Honolulu to Lihu‘e in more ways then one.
Kaua‘i’s teachers, principals and administrators in most ways are good at what they do, and have the education of our students at heart.
During the governor’s upcoming meetings on education reform slated for Kaua‘i it is hoped many new ideas about how to give more local control to our schools come up.
The governor’s message is more than a political one, though education reform was one of her top issues during the 2002 gubernatorial election. It is an issue critical to the future of our island’s people. Improve education and you improve society, open up new worlds for our students and improve our economy, while cutting back on the rolls at KCCC.
However, the reform shouldn’t go so far as that the baby is thrown out with the bath water. There are many good programs in place in our public schools, and many parents and members of the community who put considerable effort into helping teachers and students, and doing what they can to improve our schools.
The upcoming diagnosis of our schools should be looked at as a major annual checkup, and one that needs to be followed up on.
The danger about the governor’s call for reform is that if months of meetings are held and nothing changes both the community and students will wonder if the call for reform is valid. Without real action, the call for reform is just rhetoric.
Now well into her term, the governor needs to prove that her big ideas are more than just big ideas. They need to be valid, well-thought-out ideas that result in positive change.
