Lance Mizumoto

Lance Mizumoto is not proposing this as a model to replicate in schools statewide, but it worked at least that one time that the Board of Education’s new chairman stood in front of a third-grade classroom, trying to get the attention of the restless kids. It was a Junior Achievement program, and he suddenly confronted the challenge of teachers everywhere.

“I asked the first question, and nobody raised their hand,” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Well, first person that raises their hand gets a piece of candy.’ Next thing you know, all the kids start raising their hand.

“That’s when I realized, I need to know how to motivate these kids. I figured out a way quickly.”

Mizumoto, 57, a graduate of Pearl City High School, started out at University of Hawaii wanting to be a teacher. Employment opportunities at the time were tough, so he pursued business instead, earning a master’s from Chaminade University.

Now the president and chief banking officer of Central Pacific Bank, Mizumoto’s career incorporated experience in various facets of finance at International Savings and Loan, Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank as well.

Mizumoto’s wife of two years, Ayumi Mizumoto-Kumaki, has two grown children. She raised them alone for years and worked to make ends meet.

Both his stepson and stepdaughter graduated from Kalani High School, and they relied on public schools, with the extra boost of the Punahou School-sponsored college-readiness program Pueo, for their education.

Mizumoto’s wife and stepdaughter were featured in the recent documentary by Hawaii filmmaker Matthew Nagato, “‘Ike: Knowledge Is Everywhere,” with education and well-being among its central themes.

Mizumoto was named to the chairmanship by Gov. David Ige, whose aims for the Department of Education include giving more authority to principals on their own campuses.

He thinks that will work, and pointed to the college prep program pioneered at Waipahu High School as an inspirational example. Mizumoto praised Principal Keith Hayashi, whose school lacks many socioeconomic advantages of other communities.

“And yet,” he added, “he’s able to pull it off. Why? How can he do that?

“And I think that’s where the governor’s coming from, that if you can give enough empowerment to a principal to allow for that creativity, there’s no telling what these principals can do to raise the quality of education.”

QUESTION: Do you think there still is a flight from public schools to private schools?

ANSWER: I think the reality is that if parents could send their children to private school, they would. And I know many parents sacrifice a lot to do that, because they want the best for their children. So it’s not difficult to understand from that standpoint.

What is making it more difficult … is the fact that the cost of private schools is so high now. It’s not going to decrease anytime soon. There’s got to be a point at which the parents are going to have to say, “Sorry, we can’t provide you the access to a private school education.”

So the alternative is to raise the quality of public school education, so that the parents feel there is adequate value, similar to what they would get at a private school, and prepare them for college. So we have a responsibility as the community to make sure the quality is raised at that level.

Q: What’s your view of the governor’s position that the Department of Education needs to be less top-down, with more power for principals?

A: I think like any organization, the more you can empower people to make decisions, the stronger the organization can become. Empowerment does come with accountability. … What I think the governor is saying is that he would like to see the principals being able to exercise their judgment, and be more creative and make decisions that benefit the school as a whole.

I believe that the DOE is trying to make that happen, maybe not quickly enough. I know that in my short experience with the Board of Education, that we’re trying to be conscious of the need to get input from principals of the schools, whenever a policy is being changed or amended.

We want to make sure that if it’s not being fully vetted at the school administrators’ level, that we defer action on that policy. So that’s one way of making sure that we’re conscious as a board to ensure that there’s adequate input.

Q: Is it just a matter of putting out the word to principals in adance?

A: I think the role of the board is to reach out to the schools, and to be as reasonably accessible as possible.

This is not my full-time job, as with other board members — it’s a balance of time and effort. But I think it’s important for us to reach out, and make them feel like we are reaching out to them, and we are engaged with them and understand the needs that they have.

There is a Principals’ Roundtable that has been formed by the DOE. I think we as board members could get involved with meeting with the Principals’ Roundtable, in order to understand their concerns. …

Q: The big initiatives, such as Race to the Top, did show effectiveness. How do you view the role of the department?

A: I view the Department of Education as a support function. You’ve got the principals and the teachers playing the role of the (front) line, and they need the support of the Department of Education to carry out the role.

The ultimate people that we need to serve are our customers, who are the children. And so we need to make sure there’s alignment of the roles — what the line needs in order to meet the needs of the children, and make sure the support side is aligned with the teachers and principals.

Q: But you don’t dismiss the accomplishments of the big initiatives?

A: I think the initiatives had very good intent. You have to have standards; have to have a way to measure the performance of the students.

It boils down to execution and communication. We need to make sure that the goals are effectively communicated to the principals and the teachers. And we need to give them enough time to decide how they want to carry out the goals that are set by the Department of Education, and ultimately the Board of Education. …

Q: But still some room for innovation at the school?

A: Absolutely. I think our job is to ensure the principals and teachers have the ability to execute and carry out and achieve the goals, in a way that they see fit. Because the needs of the children at a particular school differ from the children’s needs at another school — based on income, based on the family situation. …

Q: How do you see the BOE/DOE role in early education?

A: I’m probably going to talk to the governor, and understand the direction he wants to take, and the direction he wants the board to take. Some of the guidance is going to have to come from the governor.

I don’t think this is anything surprising to the Board of Education. And I am meeting currently with each board member, to talk about issues of this type, and get their take.

The one thing I’ve learned early on about the Board of Education and the Department of Education, it’s always changing. And challenge, again, is to be able to adapt, while keeping things consistent.

Q: Do you foresee any structural changes within the DOE, with governance? The CAS — the complex area superintendents — and such?

A: I don’t foresee anything happening immediately. As I’ve met with some of the complex area superintendents, a number of them do a wonderful job, and there’s a need for them to play that role within their respective regions or districts. Some of them may need more guidance, and there’s a training issue that I think we need to address as well.

Q: What kind of training?

A: Leadership, communication. I think there are certain CAS’s who do very well in that respect, and then there’s some who need some help in that respect.

Q: Their relationships with principals, that interaction?

A: Right. Some communicate very well, and some may not. And so we need to rely on (DOE Superintendent) Kathy Matayoshi and (Assistant Superintendent) Stephen Schatz to ensure that they provide the guidance and leadership to the respective CAS’s to carry out the policies and requirements.

Q: I also wanted to ask you about the Office of Hawaiian Education. Most of the Hawaiian-focused learning is being carried out through the charter schools, right? Is there going to be more direction?

A: I’ve read the policies relating to the formation of the Office of Hawaiian Education, and the goals related to education of the Hawaiian culture and language, and the like.

We’re fully supportive of the direction that they’re taking. I think we need to give the new person, Dawn Kaui Sang, a chance to determine what direction she wants to take.

But the board has set certain goals that she needs to be aware of.

Q: What sort of goals do you mean?

A: Maybe I can go back a step. When you talked about that Hawaiian education was largely in the charter schools, if you look at the absolute numbers, it’s actually more students in the public school system that are in the immersion program. …

Q: So the emphasis is on the content of the curriculum delivered to the children in the general-education schools?

A: That’s one of the goals. It’s not limited to language; it’s the culture, the character…

Q: What’s the outlook, with the No Child Left Behind law up for revision?

A: I think, assuming that they’re allowing for more flexibility at the state level… we will be able to look at other opportunities to make sure that we effectively measure student success and performance. …

Q: The waiver that Hawaii got from NCLB?

A: We’re one of eight states.

Q: It’s renewable?

A: It’s renewable, but we’re there for three years. …

If they’re comfortable with the direction we’re taking with the measurements of success, and ultimately the performance of the students, it could mean that we get an extension of that waiver.

Q: Of course, it all depends on the whims of government, right?

A: It depends on how the Republicans write it, and how the vote comes out. … I would not like to see this be a political game. Because ultimately that hurts the children, and the school systems in the states.