Editorial: New Department of Education chief must act quickly

Keith Hayashi has demonstrated he cares about the kids in the classroom — certainly a baseline requirement for anyone wanting to oversee the mission — and knows well the teachers, principals and other administrators running the state Department of Education. He has demonstrated much of that during his highly praised tenure as Waipahu High School principal, and in his 9-1/2 months as interim superintendent of schools.

Now that he has the permanent position, appointed on Thursday by the state Board of Education, there is much more that he will have to demonstrate, and in short order. This school year will end Thursday, with summer session soon to follow.

The real work begins now for Hayashi to publicly lay out his vision: first, for catching up the many students in the short term whose achievement has lagged, even plummeted, during pandemic campus closures.

Secondly, the hope is that he can bring to fruition some good ideas for overcoming the frustration of students, too many of whom have drifted away from academics altogether, and of faculty, facing an overworked and understaffed campus environment.

For the medium and long term, they need to find enthusiasm for learning and teaching, with the sights set on excellence, rather than simply on surviving the past 2-1/2 brutal years. And the energy and messaging for that have to come from the top, to begin with.

The announcement of Hayashi’s hiring followed a long public meeting with the BOE, which also drew fire from a crowd of parents protesting what they see as an excessively restrictive campus protocol for mask-wearing.

The fact is that the new superintendent has been in close consultation with state Department of Health authorities on what made sense for students and staff, given the comparatively low immunization rate, especially among younger students, against COVID-19.

And now that the state is in the midst of yet another surge, although one with lower hospitalization impact, it makes sense that Hayashi would maintain the safest large-congregate setting possible through the end of this school year, and through the summer session for those who attend. This will give schools the time to reassess strategies and the unpredictable state of the pandemic until campuses resume full occupancy in a few months.

That said, there is much lost ground to recover, on multiple fronts.

The spending of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding has been slow, according to testimony teachers delivered to the BOE. As of early May, federal data showed the DOE spending only 27.1% of $639.5 million total in ESSER funds. About $183.6 million of that lapses in September 2023.

Hawaii isn’t alone among states reporting such lags, but it’s concerning given the distressing data released by the DOE, showing worsening percentages of students receiving a failing grade in English or math. That report analyzed student performance over the first quarter, from Aug. 3 to Oct. 8, and the second quarter, from Oct. 18 to Dec. 17.

Hayashi has pledged that he will deliver real progress, not more of the status quo. That should be self-evident, with the status quo being so miserable. He’s promising to produce a strategic plan for improvement, which is necessary to assure that a blueprint can be carried out across the wide-ranging socioeconomic realities of the statewide school system, comprising 171,000 students.

But the school community needs something immediate, a clearly defined vision of success — how students at all levels can reach their highest potential. Let’s hear the game plan toward real progress in school year 2022-23, and how he’ll marshal the forces to achieve it. That is the near-term assignment on Superintendent Hayashi’s desk, and the public deserves more than a peek at it, sooner rather than later.