Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Finnegan: HB2377 does nothing to achieve BoE accountability
By News Release @ 10:48 PM :: 7170 Views :: Maui County, Education K-12, Energy, Environment

Finnegan requests veto of HB2377

Honolulu – Thursday, July 1, 2010.   "For decades we've talked about increasing accountability in education," states Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan."However HB 2377, the bill that sets up an advisory council to submit a list of approved candidates for the Governor to select the B.O.E., absolutely does nothing to achieve accountability and perhaps sends us once again in the opposite direction."

Attached is the letter submitted to Governor urging a veto of HB 2377 HD3 SD2 CD1.

The letter states that a veto of enabling legislation for a constitutional amendment has been done before. In 2005, Gov. Lingle vetoed SB1257 SD2 HD2 CD1, the enabling legislation for the constitutional amendment that required governors select UH regents from an advisory council.  When that constitutional amendment was approved by voters, the enabling legislation was passed in 2007. 

"Hopefully, the legislature will recognize its error and pass enabling legislation free of any advisory council in the 2011 session," says Finnegan.

- 30 - 

Dear Governor Lingle,

I am writing to request that you veto HB2377 HD3 SD2 CD1, a bill that would force future governors to nominate individuals for the Board of Education (BOE) from a list of individuals submitted by an advisory committee as it would damage attempts to bring accountability to Hawai`i's education system.

As you have noted on many occasions, the leadership in Hawai`i's education system is fragmented between the BOE, the governor and the legislature. I was supportive of the constitutional amendment that passed that would make the BOE a governor appointed board. It was a positive step that would make the governor more accountable for the performance of education.

However, whatever good the constitutional amendment would accomplish was completely undermined by HB2377 HD3 SD2 CD1, the enabling legislation for that constitutional amendment. This bill forces the governor to select nominees for the BOE from a list of candidates from an advisory council representing various interests. With this requirement, the governor cannot be held accountable for results in education because he or she will not have the freedom to nominate whomever he or she feels is the best candidate for the job. If the governor is to truly be the ultimate authority for education policy, he or she must not be restricted to selecting a nominee from a list of names that he or she had little input in creating. Otherwise, with this advisory council, we are left with the status quo, a system of shared responsibility with no full accountability.

A veto of this legislation will not harm the constitutional amendment. If the voters approve the amendment, the legislature can pass new enabling legislation next session. This has happened before. In 2005, you vetoed SB1257 SD2 HD2 CD1, the enabling legislation for the constitutional amendment that required governors select UH regents from an advisory council. When that constitutional amendment was approved by voters, the enabling legislation was passed in 2007. This will mean a delay in the implementation of the constitutional amendment, but that is preferred to the implementation of a legislation mandating a deeply flawed appointment process. Hopefully, the legislature will recognize its error and pass enabling legislation free of any advisory council in the 2011 session.

For those reasons, I feel it is imperative that you veto HB2377 HD3 SD2 CD1.

Sincerely

Representative Lynn Finnegan

House Minority Leader

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT