Teachers need voting details

On May 18, Hawaii teachers received an email explaining the Hawaii State Teachers Association Board of Directors’ decision not to certify the results of our recent officers’ election. It left much to be desired — instead of specifics and evidence, it cites generalities and hearsay.

Some HSTA members want accurate and detailed minutes of the meeting on May 16 in which this action was taken, including the voting record of each representative board member on each agenda item and New Business Item.

We ask that HSTA detail the specifics of the irregularities mentioned, and present better evidence than hearsay supporting claims of irregularities.

If 8th grade English Language Arts students can be detailed and specific and support their claims with evidence (Common Core State Standards W.8.1: "Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence."), I have every confidence that HSTA can do the same.

David Negaard
Teacher Wailuku, Maui

Neighborhood board results?

Despite claims of a new vote-counting system, it’s been at least three days with no word on the results of the recent neighborhood board elections.

There’s plenty of bragging about the Neighborhood Board elections receiving an award for innovation from Harvard University and heaven knows who else.

But the bottom line is that there are no timely election results.

So what’s up, ladies and gentlemen?

Do they ever take back awards?

Ron Weinberg
Kailua

City won’t go back to bicycles

Like many other auto drivers, I use King Street from downtown to University Avenue on a daily basis.

Also on a daily basis, I must turn left near Keeaumoku Street and cross the bike lane. Looking both front and rear for bike traffic is a must before proceeding to turn.

Not hitting a bike rider is a challenge, not because there are too many bike riders but because there are too few.

My respect for the bike riders is deep, however. The fact that this minority has been able to capture one full lane of a very busy street to me is amazing.

If any of the city planners live under the assumption that Honolulu will revert back to bicycle riding as a major means of transportation, they are delusional.

It seems to me that using other streets, like Young Street, might have been a better choice for this test.

Louis Faulkner
Hawaii Kai

Natural GMO found in potato

Many anti-GMO activists are worried because they believe that transfer of genes between species is "unnatural." Well, they should no longer worry, because it has been discovered recently that the sweet potato is a natural GMO crop.

Researchers have recently found in the sweet potato, domesticated in South America more than 8,000 years ago, a collection of bacterial genes from Agrobacterium T-DNA in sweet potato cells. These are the same bacterial genes that are used by scientists in today’s transgenic (GMO) process.

Further examination revealed a second cluster of genes, indicating that this natural transgenic (GMO) process has happened at least twice over the past thousands of years in the sweet potato.

So, we have evidently been consuming GMO sweet potatoes for thousands of years and did not know it. I wonder if the local anti-GMO activists will be protesting and sign-waving at local luaus?

Don R. Gerbig
Lahaina, Maui

Lax discipline will be norm

Vicki Owens waxes enthusiastically about the prospect of new Board of Education discipline policy guidelines ("Discipline policy scrutinized," Star-Advertiser, May 10).

She believes they will result in replacing "the criminalization of kolohe behavior with the understanding that high energy levels, exuberance and non-conformity are natural but not punishable" ("Misconduct rules overdue for review," Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 17).

A more likely result is that principals will be keenly aware of the new metric on which they are to be evaluated, to wit: reduce, ideally eliminate, all suspensions.

Troublemakers intent in preventing their classmates from learning will thus be returned to classrooms with a nominal warning, which they will logically interpret as permission to unleash bedlam.

Teachers will be blamed for the resulting steep decline in assessment test performance as learning vanishes like smoke in the wind.

Owens is right about one thing: There will be no shortage of "exuberance."

Thomas E. Stuart
Kapaau, Hawaii island

Women inmates deserve thanks

It was very nice seeing a positive commentary by Nolan Espinda, the director of the state Department of Public Safety, on the hard work by inmates working to transition back into our community ("Work furloughs are vital to successful re-entry of prisoners back into society," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 17).

I want to thank the women who have helped keep our community beautiful, especially on the Windward side.

These women are rarely recognized but should know that their hard work is appreciated in the community.

They have not only contributed to the roadside cleanups, but have worked behind the scenes with other community organizations to assist with efforts to further beautify our neighborhoods.

Our community must work together to provide more opportunities for those ready to re-enter the workforce and into their families’ lives to make Hawaii a better place for us all.

We must work together to lift the confidence of all participants who once again will be side-by-side in our communities.

Shannon Alivado
Waimanalo

Vacation renters good neighbors

I would much rather have a vacation rental neighbor any day than a local resident "neighbor from hell" — one with multiple outdoor dogs barking all day, with roaming unfixed cats interbreeding, piles of rotting poop emitting odors downwind, yelling, screaming, swearing, unkempt yards, visual blight, hoarding in garages, and their multiple cars parked in garages and on the street.

You’d have to put up with the neighbor from hell for at least ayear(the length of most rental agreements) or forever (if they own the property).

The vacation rental occupant, in general, would not even compare to this. The collected taxeswould be an economic boon to the state.

Lisa Adlong
Hauula