Good grief, schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi is building a feudal realm (“Proposed raises for Hawaii DOE executives reduced,” Star-Advertiser, March 24)! No wonder the Department of Education is one of the state’s biggest-ticket budget items.
Meanwhile, schools go unrepaired to a dangerous level. Mandated use of local farm-grown food is ignored. Staff shortages, from teachers to support workers, go unfilled. Our University of Hawaii graduates move to the mainland. We have a very low state ranking for education.
Hayashi seems to forget the goal is to provide our children the best available education. Those working in an administrative function, a cast of thousands — deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, complex-area superintendents (have I left anyone out?) — and their associates should be engaged in supporting the principals, teachers, aides, instructors and support staff at each school.
Perhaps the DOE executives should receive pay commensurate with ratings given to each school in terms of educational ranking, staff satisfaction, maintenance and parent satisfaction. After all, our tax dollars pay for this.
Andrea Bell
Kailua
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