Education in Hawaii
On Oct. 14, 2008 I attended the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Candidates' Forum, and was surprised to hear that majority of the canadiates want to improve our education system here on Maui. In reading some of the political pamphlets that were handed out, and listening to what they had to say I found that they each have their own special interest or mission on how they would improve our education. However, in reading the news for the past couple of weeks there has been more talk about budget cuts on education than I’ve seen in a long time.
Here’s what we’re looking at. The state Board of Education already approved reducing its budget by $45.6 million last week, but that falls short of the $69 million in cuts Gov. Linda Lingle requested a month ago. If the governor decides to scrap 15 percent of the Department of Education budget, that would result in schools losing about $22 per student. If the Department of Education has to cut 20 percent of its budget, schools could suffer a loss of $222 per student. Teachers and administrators are concerned about cuts to programs that are close to the classroom, and about cuts that could eliminate about 15 teaching positions and two support staff members. Gov. Lingle states in her article "I don't see that they're hurting the classroom yet. I'm certain there's more money there. More cuts may be coming. "This is our reality," she said. "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
As I said in the beginning! I heard every candidates passion about improving education, but how can I have faith that they are truly going to be able to improve the quality of education. It seems that education is always the first to suffer when the budget needs to be reduced. How can I have faith when I hear that the State Legislators will get a 36 percent pay hike while our children get millions cut from their schools? This is why I believe that the Department of Education should be broken up into school districts governed by local school boards.
Works Cited
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 600-900pm, The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Candidates' Forum at the Lihikai Elementary School cafeteria on Papa Ave.
‘Educators: Classrooms to suffer if more cuts” The Maui News
Oct. 13, 2008
Here’s what we’re looking at. The state Board of Education already approved reducing its budget by $45.6 million last week, but that falls short of the $69 million in cuts Gov. Linda Lingle requested a month ago. If the governor decides to scrap 15 percent of the Department of Education budget, that would result in schools losing about $22 per student. If the Department of Education has to cut 20 percent of its budget, schools could suffer a loss of $222 per student. Teachers and administrators are concerned about cuts to programs that are close to the classroom, and about cuts that could eliminate about 15 teaching positions and two support staff members. Gov. Lingle states in her article "I don't see that they're hurting the classroom yet. I'm certain there's more money there. More cuts may be coming. "This is our reality," she said. "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
As I said in the beginning! I heard every candidates passion about improving education, but how can I have faith that they are truly going to be able to improve the quality of education. It seems that education is always the first to suffer when the budget needs to be reduced. How can I have faith when I hear that the State Legislators will get a 36 percent pay hike while our children get millions cut from their schools? This is why I believe that the Department of Education should be broken up into school districts governed by local school boards.
Works Cited
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 600-900pm, The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Candidates' Forum at the Lihikai Elementary School cafeteria on Papa Ave.
‘Educators: Classrooms to suffer if more cuts” The Maui News
Oct. 13, 2008
posted by Kehaulani @ 12:06 PM
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