Attacks on BOE chairman amount to religious bigotry

Attempts by gay rights activists and atheists to unseat Don Horner from the Board of Education because he’s a volunteer Bible teacher with New Hope Diamond Head are an outrageous display of religious bigotry.

Critics accused the former bank CEO of conflicts of interest and lack of transparency, but their main theme during a three-hour Senate hearing on his nomination for a second term was punishing him because conservative Christian churches opposed same-sex marriage.

Critics presented no convincing evidence that Horner used his position on the school board to undermine gay rights or advance church interests.

A person has a constitutional right in this country to freely practice his or her religion, and separation of church and state doesn’t mean only atheists can serve in government.

It’s understandable that gays feel they’ve been victims of church discrimination, but it’s always a losing proposition to fight bigotry with more bigotry.

Their religious litmus tests are as offensive as those of the tea party Republicans that Horner’s adversaries abhor.

Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Jill Tokuda said, "I believe in a strong separation of church and state, and having spent as much time as I have with Chair Horner from school health to civil rights I have never at any point ever whatsoever felt that he was trying to impose his religious views on our school system."

Tokuda has impeccable liberal credentials, and her word should be good enough for any reasonable person.

Specific accusations against Horner were that he’s biased against gay students and that several New Hope churches were named in a lawsuit claiming they underpaid for using school facilities.

During Horner’s tenure, the Department of Education has worked to accommodate sexual diversity in its sex-ed curriculum.

His New Hope Diamond Head doesn’t use public school facilities and wasn’t named in the lawsuit.

What matters here is that Horner’s management expertise as the former head of one of Hawaii’s biggest banks, as well as his longtime advocacy for education reform, eminently qualify him to help guide the unwieldy DOE.

Most members of the old elected school board had zero expertise in education or managing large organizations.

They dithered and played politics endlessly, flitting from priority to priority according to what wheel was squeaking.

The new appointed board has focused on enacting a strategic plan for improving Hawaii’s schools and avoiding distractions as the DOE implements the priorities.

Under the oversight of Horner and other broadly experienced board members appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, schools are showing their most promising student progress in decades.

Kudos to the Senate Education Committee for judging Horner on what he’s done and not what church he attends. Hopefully the full Senate will follow the panel’s unanimous rejection of religious bigotry.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.