Most DOE workers are upstanding folks

Hawaii’s public schools employ nearly 25,000 hard-working educators and staff who go the extra mile to support children and their families — from greeting and feeding students early in the morning to after-hours tutoring, parent meetings and weekend academic and sporting events.

Educating children in a safe, professional, and enjoyable environment is a responsibility we take seriously.

That is why the Department of Education is committed to investigating complaints of alleged misconduct in a timely manner that allows for an employee’s due process.

It is also important to keep the investigations in context, as they represent the exception and not the norm. In fact, the 56 employees in the reported investigations are just 0.22 percent of the DOE’s workforce ("Complaint inquiries go slow but pay still flows," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 3). They do not reflect the high standards and commitment of the overwhelming majority of the DOE’s dedicated employees.

Barbara Krieg
Assistant superintendent, Office of Human Resources Hawaii State Department of Education

Public schools need to focus on students

Hawaii’s public school system is dysfunctional.

The Department of Education’s leadership insists on an obsolete organizational model of command and control that has not kept up with contemporary management practices.As a result, good people are being forced to work in a bad system.

The Education Institute of Hawaii (EIH) recently sponsored a conference on school empowerment, a set of principles designed to reform dysfunctional educational organizations.Student learning is placed at the center of the organization, and all functions and activities are intentionally and deliberately designed to contribute to it.

School empowerment recognizes that at every school the principal and teachers know their students best. The principal and teachers can best create the most effective educational program for their students.However, even support staff contribute to student learning, so all employees are held accountable in some way for student learning.

John Kawamoto
Kaimuki

Micronesians deserve more media coverage

Why does the local press ignore Micronesia?

Typhoon Haiyan and now Typhoon Hagupit whacked Yap before heading to the Philippines. Not a peep here, even though those people suffered like the Filipinos.

Many locals do not know that Micronesians have been here for 150 years.In the 19th century, Hawaiians adopted Micronesian skirts, now the ti leaf hula skirt.Where would Hokulea be without navigator Mau Piailug?

In the past decade or so, Micronesians have suddenly faced terrible discrimination. Cultural issues and contentious court cases have inflamed unwarranted attacks on these people, including bullying of their children in public schools. No aloha for them.

Wouldn’t more press coverage of Micronesia help dispel ignorance and make things more pono with our Pacific island and local neighbors?

Dave Manu Bird
Kaimuki

UH provides timely, affordable education

We are proud that the "15 to Finish" initiative is a national model for encouraging University of Hawaii students to carry 15 or more credits ("Help UH students graduate in 4 years," Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 4).

However, the 19 percent four-year graduation rate cited in your editorial is not the most recent figure. In fact, 24.7 percent of first-time, full-time UH-Manoa freshmen graduate in four years.

Graduation rates have increased rapidly at Manoa, with the six-year rate rising from 48 to 56 percent over the past five years, where we are now at the national average.

Our four-year rates, historically low in Hawaii, have risen from below 10 percent in the 1990s, to 19 percent two years ago, to the current 24.7 percent.

We are confident that progress will continue to be made on this crucial measure indicating the quality of undergraduate education.

Students in Hawaii and their parents should know they will receive an excellent, affordable education at UH-Manoa.

Reed Dasenbrock
Vice chancellor for academic affairs, UH-Manoa

Solar farms better than golf courses

Kamehameha Schools is again doing the right thing: Building a solar farm instead of golf courses and thousands of new homes, most not affordable for most of our work force ("Waiawa could host vast solar farm," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 23).

This kind of housing development would bring an estimated 24,000 cars to the already overloaded highways and freeways.

We also need to consider other negative effects, such as trash, wastewater treatment and water supplies. These houses would bring outside money in and create more problems for our present work force.

Kamehameha Schools supports agriculture, self-sufficiency and sustainability. This is in direct correlation with where we need to go as Hawaii moves forward.

We need to get on board with its efforts in moving us in the right direction.

Robert Robinson
Waialua

FROM THE FORUM

Readers of the Star-Advertiser’s online edition can respond to stories posted there. The following are some of those. Instead of names, pseudonyms are generally used online. They have been removed.

“Decline in native birds is linked to tiny mejiro,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 1:

>> As an avid hiker on the islands, I have always been disappointed by the lack of songbirds compared to other tropical areas.

>> I rarely see mejiros any more, unless they all moved into the forests. I thought maybe they were on the brink of extinction.

>> How dare you write negatively about these cute birds. I prefer you focus more on what’s going to happen to Coach Chow.

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“Chow already looking forward to next season,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 1:

>> Coach Norm Chow is the only one looking forward to next season. Everyone else has given up on University of Hawaii football and is boycotting.

>> Easier to get good seats.

>> I like Chow’s enthusiasm and positive outlook.

———

“Sense of optimism fills many attendees,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 2:

>> Nothing will change. The same party has had a grip of the political process since it morphed into the political party it replaced in the 1950s. The only ones getting screwed are the state’s taxpayers.

>> I have confidence in Gov. David Ige. He will set his own agenda and look out for the best interest of the people of Hawaii. He will walk the talk.

———

“Monk seal pup found dead from bludgeoning,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 3:

>> There must be a motive for these killings. To just club it to death for no apparent reason is truly sick.

>> I hope whoever did this atrocious act is caught and punished to the max.

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“HECO adds ‘green’ charge to bills,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 3:

>> The state and Hawaiian Electric are working together to add another tax to the people of Hawaii. I can’t afford to install a photovoltaic system, so I do without and have to pay a full amount on my bill — then a tax for those who make a little less than I so that they can get a cheaper electric bill?

>> HECO is just the collector for the state’s energy program, approved by the Public Utilities Commission.

>> I can’t afford a new Ferrari. Can HECO subsidize it?

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“Hawaiian flights will get squishier,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 4:

>> It’s not really a big deal adding more seats if the new seats they’re using are thinner and the leg room remains around the same. If you look at the photo, the seats are in a 3-2 configuration, so up to 10 additional seats means two more rows maximum. Also, the longest flight from Oahu is 45 minutes to Kona or Hilo, so as long as they keep serving POG on the flights, I think we’ll survive.

>> What’s next, remove the seats and make everyone stand?

>> Be careful what you wish for.

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“Rezoning gets unanimous OK by commission,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 4:

>> Well, so much for the concentrating of building in Kakaako to save green land areas. It was a foregone conclusion. 

>> We need more housing, no question, and it has to be built somewhere. I just wish it could be more affordable.

>> These homes will be snatched up before even being built.

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“Florida company buys HEI for $4.3B,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 4:

>> This is probably the best thing that could happen to Hawaii as now we might have a fair company working with us to control costs and future rates. 

>> This is a lose-lose situation for both the employees of Hawaiian Electric Industries as well as the general public. You know it’s a bad deal when it can’t get anything close to an endorsement from hardly any politician or environmental group interviewed for this story.

>> HECO’s current business model and infrastructure is outdated. The company was headed for the same fate as Hawaiian Tel. This merger is in the best interests of the HEI shareholders, but we need to be assured by the Public Utilities Commission that the buyout is in the interests of the ratepayers.