Christina Kishimoto, who has been the state Department of Education’s superintendent less than a year and a half, should be commended for getting the department’s repair and maintenance budget in order (“Costs leap to $868M,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 24).

State Rep. Sylvia Luke, who chairs the House Finance Committee, is quoted as saying, “But one of the things I’m not sure about is whether the superintendent understands why this needed to be done, what a serious problem this was.”

Since it’s obvious that Kishimoto understands why this needed to be done, Luke should have asked why the previous superintendents failed to address this longstanding problem.

Tony Turbeville

Makiki

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