A little more than six months since they were appointed, Board of Education members will hold a retreat Saturday with more than 40 stakeholders to discuss the pace of education reform in Hawaii and next steps for improving school and student performance.
"The goal is really to set the stage for the next six to 12 months," said BOE Chairman Don Horner, adding that the theme for the gathering is "defining success" for schools, students and education leaders.
BOARD OF EDUCATION RETREAT
What: Daylong retreat for BOE members and invited participants. Members of the public are invited to give testimony.
Where: First Hawaiian Center, 999 Bishop St., 30th floor
When: Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m.
More information: www.hawaiiboe.net |
The retreat is open to the public.
But the format is meant to facilitate brainstorming: Invited stakeholders will participate in small-group sessions on a variety of topics, while members of the public will have a chance to give testimony and watch proceedings (but not participate in formal discussions).
Among the items to be discussed in breakout groups: the Department of Education’s strategic plan, Race to the Top reforms, and the role of DOE branches and complex-area superintendents.
Horner, who is First Hawaiian Bank chief executive officer and chairman, is holding the retreat in the 30th-floor conference room at the bank’s Bishop Street tower to accommodate discussions in small groups. Horner said 45 participants have been invited, including complex-area superintendents and several education advocates.
Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi will attend.
The appointed Board of Education held its inaugural meeting in April, pledging to help usher in big reforms, bring greater scrutiny to education spending and decrease BOE meddling in daily operations.
The appointed board, whose nine members were selected by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, ended the 45-year run of the elected BOE in the islands. Voters overwhelmingly supported the switch to an appointed Board of Education last November.
Cheryl Kau‘hane Lupenui, chairwoman of the board’s Student Achievement Committee, said the retreat is a chance for members of the board and stakeholders to talk about big-picture issues.
"Just getting us all in the room, quite honestly, really allows us to have a richer, deeper conversation than what we are normally able to do in our traditional board and committee meetings," Lupenui said, adding the retreat includes a "strong strategic discussion."
