Several days after the Hawaii Supreme Court struck down a question on general election ballots that would have allowed voters to decide whether to give the state the power to tax property to support public education, there’s no sign of a commitment among political and educational leaders to try to advance the measure next year.
The Supreme Court on Friday, in siding with Hawaii’s four counties, said that the wording of the question wasn’t sufficiently clear. The ballot measure would have required an amendment to the Hawaii Constitution, and by law the wording of such initiatives must be “neither misleading or deceptive.”
The Legislature could simply amend the language of the question when it reconvenes next year and put it back out to voters. But the legal challenge was part of a much bigger political fight over the proposed constitutional amendment, and supporters of the amendment appeared chastened by the surge in opposition to the measure from the business sector and county mayors. Even four of Hawaii’s former governors took part in a commercial urging voters to oppose it.
During a Monday press conference, Gov. David Ige, Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Michelle Kidani, schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto and others emphasized the need to pay teachers more and better fund classrooms. But they offered few specifics on how to do so and seemed reluctant to get behind a new ballot measure.
“We all know that we’re facing enormous challenges within our education system. We see classrooms with broken and old equipment, schools with bathrooms that don’t work, students without constructive after- school activities, particularly in the rural areas and our neighbor islands. We see teachers working second and third jobs. This is unacceptable,” said Kidani. “While this avenue is closed, we cannot turn our backs on this crisis. I promise to continue to do everything we can to find ways to improve our schools.”
Asked whether she would push the ballot measure next year, Kidani said she would have to sit down with colleagues in the House of Representatives to see whether they are up to it. “There may be other ideas we put on the table,” she said.
Gov. David Ige, who supported the constitutional amendment, said he would continue to look for new funding sources, including the use of public lands to generate revenue for schools. But he offered no specifics about what he might push for in his new biennium budget if he wins re-election.
“I strongly support teachers in the classroom because we know that student learning and improved learning occurs in the classroom in the interaction between a teacher and student, and we are committed to continue to fight for more resources for our schools,” he said.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association had spent two years working to get the question on ballots, and the Legislature overwhelmingly passed it earlier this year. But HSTA President Corey Rosenlee was unsure of what the teachers union would advocate for in the future. He noted that the union had to look at what is politically possible in assessing its options. While Ronsenlee said he was shocked by Friday’s ruling, he emphasized that the battle over the proposed constitutional amendment had brought heightened attention to the need to better fund public schools.
“The stakes are too high. We still have 1,000 classrooms without a qualified teacher, and one-third of our students are being taught by subs and emergency hires,” he said. “This must be our moral imperative because at the end of the day, this is about one thing, this is about our keiki. … We cannot have a society of haves and have-nots, where some children are given the opportunity of a quality education and we deny that opportunity to other children.”
