Email: "Hawai‘i Education 101"
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There is an inverse relationship between the size and complexity of a bureaucracy and its responsiveness to individuals and communities. This principle certainly applies to Hawai‘i’s Department of Education. We are fourteenth in the nation in the amount of money spent per child, yet we rank 47th and 48th in eighth grade reading and math scores, respectively. Many blame, among other things, Hawai‘i’s single statewide school district. New teachers have learned innovative theories and techniques in their education, yet aren’t able to implement them in the classroom.

Thus, many parents have recently advocated for more local control through countywide school districts. We must bypass the county level and go straight to the individual school community.

Due to the No Child Left Behind Act, every public school in this country will eventually “restructure.” Schools are hiring private, for-profit companies such as ETS and Edison Learning to come in and teach the teachers, costing tax-payers millions and lowering the morale and sense of autonomy of school’s faculty and children. However, the NCLB Act does give a school another option for restructuring: converting to a charter school and, together with the community of parents, taking more responsibility for itself. If the principal and at least 50 percent of teachers and parents agree, they can begin the conversion process. Teachers and administrators remain members of Hawai‘i State Teachers Association and Hawai‘i Government Employees Association, respectively.

There are currently five conversion charter schools in Hawai‘i, including Kualapu‘u Elementary School on Moloka‘i (which encompasses a Hawaiian language immersion program); each with its own local school board. Parent involvement is key: studies show it increases children’s performance.

A common misconception about conversion charter schools is that they are “privatized”; they are not, they are still public schools. There is a comprehensive evaluation process set up by the Charter School Review Panel—also charged with ongoing monitoring. To make this a viable option for our schools, please contact your legislator to encourage the reinstatement of charter schools’ funding, lost in the last several legislative sessions.

While perhaps not for every school community, conversion charter schools would be a win/win for the children, parents, teachers and administrators of many of Maui’s public schools.

Netra Halperin

Kīhei

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