• There’s a need to reform our education system • Phone books are a thing of the past • County ‘traditions’ are a disservice to Kaua‘i There’s a need to reform our education system It saddens me to see teachers
• There’s a need to reform our education system • Phone books are a thing of the past • County ‘traditions’ are a disservice to Kaua‘i
There’s a need to reform our education system
It saddens me to see teachers holding signs trying to gain awareness of the plight of education in the State of Hawai‘i.
Our political leaders need to understand that rhetoric of making education a priority only during election years are wearing thin. I think the last two governors seen that in the last election.
The state educational hierarchy will always have a major challenge in providing good educators for our children due to the high cost of living in paradise.
New teachers get overwhelmed when they try to rent a place or shop for basic essentials and most depart after a short tenure.
It is no secret that most of our residents hold second jobs to stay afloat and teachers are not the exception.
Teaching in a public school is not an easy task, especially for an educator from outside the state. The unique cultural experience can be daunting and a huge challenge.
Disrupting students ruin the educational process for the majority and factor that with ineffective administrators, it is not rocket science why private and charter schools are thriving.
Our political leaders need to be bold and innovative in providing for our educational system and eliminate nepotism and favoritism.
How long do our teachers and students have to sell sweetbread to be able to experience what our schools, clubs and athletics provide? Thank heavens for our business leaders and volunteers who donate time and funding to our schools.
Our students are our future.
Remember, you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
James Kitamura
Lihu‘e
Phone books are a thing of the past
Once upon a time the phone book was the “who’s who’s” of everyone in any given town anywhere. Fast forward to the 21st century with the advent of cellular phones, iPods, computers, magicJack and Skype. Phone books only list people with landlines. Cell phones, Skype, magicJack and computer listings are not in the phone book. Most listings posted in phone books are either senior citizens like myself or commercial businesses.
Phone book listings are shrinking just as many parts of my anatomy. Many whom still posses landlines are requesting unlisted numbers.
I remember getting my first phone number and my name was in the phone book, it was the unwritten coming of age. Phone books were also used for short people making speeches and for the short boy being photographed with a tall girlfriend, by standing on a phone book it gave the feeling of security. Now phone books seem like the dinosaurs of the past.
It seems landlines along phone books will slowly and graciously ease themselves out of existence. All I can say is, “what’s a short guy to do?”
James “Kimo” Rosen
Kapa‘a
County ‘traditions’ are a disservice to Kaua‘i
Quoting MSNBC news, “A single malicious email sent to workers at the South Carolina Department of Revenue last August enabled an international hacker to crack into state computers and gain access to 3.8 million tax returns, including Social Security numbers and bank account information … according to details in a report released Tuesday … including the Social Security numbers of 1.9 million children and other dependents, the hackers got access to data on 699,900 business tax returns and 3.3 million bank accounts.”
There is no reason why hackers would not target county tax departments. The County of Kaua‘i has an antiquated computer and software system in which the Finance Department secures our financial information. Hiring a contractor to analyze present and future technology needs, and then designing, implementing and integrating a modern information technology system (ITS) enterprise-wide would reduce operating expenses and improve safety, efficiency and quality of services in the near term. The administration should address the truly needless liabilities and expenses incurred daily by the “tradition” of failing to modernize the ITS enterprise-wide, including the Finance Department’s antiquated technology.
It’s time the administration ends the lawsuits defending illegal “traditions.” County “traditions” still manage our human resources (HR). “Traditions” cost tax payers several million dollars a year in labor law and civil rights violation settlements and expenses. There is still no written plan to fully end our current HR liabilities. Our county “traditions” regarding the Finance Department’s cost control and loss prevention mandates appear to pre-date the beginning of state procurement law.
The mayor’s “tradition” is to hire managers without educational background or previous record of employment success in the required field of expertise. Simple arithmetic demonstrates that every year we spend millions on settlements and “traditional” low productivity that create expensive new problems. Maybe it’s time to hire or contract competent systems design, implementation and integration developers, and then actually modernize the operation of this county enterprise. If the lawyers and hackers don’t finish bankrupting us, our traditional inefficiency will.
Lonnie Sykos
Kapa‘a
