Believe: A Vision of Hawaii

 A bit of background first. Back in 2006, my husband Randy ran for Governor of our state against a popular Governor with a huge political war chest. No one wanted to risk their political careers as a decided underdog. Randy had been retired but believed voters needed an alternative. It was a difficult campaign and Randy lost, badly. I recently found a document in my files, “Believe: A Vision of Hawaii” that was part of his campaign. I remember Randy asking me to write down my thoughts about education that would become part of this vision.

Here is the introduction to the first section, “Investing in Our Future.” 

 I believe that a first-rate educational system is essential if we are to attract high tech industries to Hawaii. We must support our public schools and encourage innovation in education to provide Hawaii with a quality workforce. Our graduates must be able to read, write, compute, think critically and creatively, work well with others, and use technology effectively in order to compete in this global economy.

I believe that public education is the backbone of our society. We must work together - all of us - because the education of our youth, the future leaders of our state and of our country, is one of our most important responsibilities. We must commit to improving our educational system from preschool to tertiary so our students can compete with students from around our nation and around the world.

To accomplish this, Randy came up with a plan that included a) providing the resources to fix our schools and to review how to speed up the process so schools can focus on teaching and learning; b) committing the resources to ensure that quality child care centers or programs exist in all communities throughout the state so all students can enter kindergarten with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful; c) supporting our teachers with a decent salary, professional development, training, and incentives to keep up with the challenges of a rapidly-changing world; d) ensuring that in this global economy, our students have access to technology as a tool for learning; e) preparing our students for their futures means that the community needs to be more actively involved in schools; and finally f) collaborating with institutes of higher learning is essential to provide Hawaii with a quality work force needed for our innovation industries.   

Well, they say change takes time. It’s been 20 years. Back in 2006, I was in my third year as a principal. Those ideas that became part of Randy’s vision for Hawaii continued to drive me as an educator and a principal.  I shared my thoughts more widely when I began blogging back in 2012. And when I look at the state of our education today, I see glimmers of hope. We finally made early education a priority, and the Executive Office of Early Learning and Ready Keiki Initiative have opened doors for hundreds of preschoolers and their families. Students are able to take college courses through dual-credit agreements between their school and local institutes of higher learning, and they gain valuable professional experience through programs such as culinary or medical academies. Students have more options via new charter schools with an emphasis on technology, innovation, and an emphasis on Hawaiian values and language. 

But we still struggle in other areas. Repair and maintenance issues continue to plague our schools and our Department of Education.  Low compensation coupled with the high cost of living in Hawaii makes it difficult for teachers, especially those recruited from out-of-state. (Link) And legislative priorities sometimes don’t focus on improving what matters most to impact teaching and learning. (Link)

Randy’s “Believe: A Vision of Hawaii” was written 20 years ago. Two decades. The years have passed,  but visions don't have expiration dates. The vision is still relevant. Let's continue to fight for our schools, our students, our teachers, and our communities.