Education Committee Report
(and why political reform comes slowly to Hawaii)
The Education Committee has testified on several bills during this legislative session but was disappointed that the Task Force on Charter Schools appointed at the request of the Legislature at its last session reported back without a single substantive recommendation.
Of the 47 proposals arrived at by the 16-member task force only five obtained the support Chairman Jim Shon had specified as necessary to qualify as a recommendation -- and these pertained only to such pro forma matters as redefining charter schools, classifying the laws affecting them, etc.
Since these schools badly need changes -- e.g., facilities provisions, equitable financing, a raising of the cap preventing any new charter schools from being launched -- this member of the Task Force commented that the absence of recommendations was appalling. Chairman Shon responded that members were following orders: they had been instructed how to vote and they voted as they had been told to by their organizations.
Another reason that might be noted for the outcome was that the Task Force on Charter schools included only one representative from a charter school.
Mary Anne Raywid
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Winter 2005
June 2006
President's Message