Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law today a bill giving him the power to directly appoint Board of Education members.

At the bill signing ceremony at Washington Place, Abercrombie said he planned to announce his new appointments by April 1. His nominees must be confirmed by the Senate.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in November to get rid of BOE elections and let the governor choose who sits on the board.

Abercrombie said he would choose a board that would work together to improve public education in Hawaii.

“The movement toward the appointment of a Board of Education is not a comment on either the character or the work output of the elected Board of Education members,” he said. “Quite the contrary. I think it is an expression of the attempt to modernize our capacity to be able to respond with what is neccesary for education.”