Education K-12

...SB 1405 calls for confiscation, increased fines for youth....

...a new nationally representative survey reporting on the experiences and opinions of over 1,200 active-duty military families. ...

"...the original intent of the program was to increase school attendance rates, which the program did...."

...The day after an allegedly corrupt charter school director evaded justice, the AG’s office sent out yet another nationally-themed news release--ironically calling on Congress to do something about … corrupt educational institutions....

...conditions have shown little to no improvements in more recent years, with the state’s rank for this domain slipping from 30 in 2018 to 34 in 2019....

...the Education Institute of Hawaii that wants to see the general ledger for the whole Department of Education....

...Documents filed yesterday in federal court by the ACLU of Hawai‘i reveal that DOE has simply been waiting for two female high school athletes to graduate, hoping the mere fact of their graduation will prevent the girls from being able to proceed with their gender discrimination lawsuit....

...Hawaii 39.7% of free-lunch eligible students participate in free breakfast program – 2nd lowest in USA....

...work with Dr. Troy Hutchings to make the Model Code of Ethics for Educators 'appropriate for Hawaii'....

...The Official requested...all 33 Neighborhood Board chairs...place the ballot issue  ...on their board’s monthly agenda between September 15 and October 15, 2018, so that a certain political action committee “and others” could publicly discuss this topic prior to the election....

"...On behalf of EIH, we are prepared to litigate this matter to the full extent necessary...."

...“And then, the boys who were there among the sixty, I told them, you know, it’s kind of hard for a woman to get pregnant without you guys,” she said....

...It remains unclear exactly how the DOE’s nearly $1.9 billion operating budget is being spent due to the complex, non-transparent nature of its budget. This is not to mention the roughly $1 billion in other expenses that make up the almost $3 billion DOE budget....

... their reported average GPA ranks them amongst the top five smartest states in the country ... (BUT) ... Hawaii has the lowest mean ACT score on this list and the fifth lowest in the United States .... 

... Ranking schools based largely on test results perpetuates the failed "test and punish" culture of the past -- HSTA ....

...HB1070: Tenured and probationary teachers will no longer have to pay their own licensure fees....

... This week Congress will vote on H.R. 5, the Equality Act, sweeping legislation that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the definition of sex throughout federal law .... 

...a final plan will be presented to the Board of Education early next year....

"...In an effort to eliminate the predictive nature of expected targets, EES will focus on student-centered growth that assesses what is valued in the school or Complex Area rather than on Student Learner Outcomes (SLOs)...."

“This agreement is worth more than $45 million for our members in salary increases and employer contributions to our health care plan, while establishing a pilot program to give teachers more control over their 21 hours (of professional development time)....”

...Task force statistics reveal youth, especially on neighbor islands, most at risk....

...one significant deficiency in internal control over financial reporting ... two significant deficiencies in internal control over compliance....

...they just make a list of the projects and call them “deferred maintenance”....

...UIPA Request: DoE Refusing to Release Check Register....

...HIDOE completing school roof repairs more quickly under 'new' contracting method....

...2019’s Most & Least Financially Literate States....

...after dumping as many independent tests as possible, the DoE tries to make it look good.  Here's their report....

"...branded an “F.” How does that make the hardworking kids, educators and families of that school community feel?...."

...HIDOE announces its 2019 graduation dates for 64 schools statewide including public charter schools....

...Kona Pacific Public Charter School, 222 students, 37.4 percent not vaccinated....

... We believe these bills are unconstitutional ....

...Innovation is a principal driver of U.S. economic growth....

"SB 1474 Senate Draft 2 that proposes an increase in the GET now specifies '__ per cent or $ _____'"

...The Hawaii Legislature is considering a bill to add 0.5 percent to the 4 percent state general excise tax....

...what we really need to do is fix the inefficiency....

...The Hawaii Legislature seems to have learned the wrong lesson from last year’s constitutional amendment debate....

...Kanuikapono Charter School Leadership Itself Is Now Being Watched....

...Millions of dollars from the DoE budget are on the line if HB664 or SB674  “Relating to Gender Identity” becomes law.... 

...Illegal Activities? Criminal Coverups? Unsavory Characters?....

...Title IX became law in 1972....

...Senate Bill 1474 proposes levying a 0.5 percent surcharge on the general excise and use tax in order to provide a “dedicated funding source” for the DOE and the University of Hawaii....

...three finalists to replace Kamehameha Schools Trustee Corbett Kalama whose term ends on June 30, 2019. They are:  Anton Krucky, Coralie Chun Matayoshi and Crystal Rose....

...Thousands of HSTA Members Could be Targeted by New Anti-Bullying Policy....

...The proposed Equality Act would add “gender identity” to the Civil Rights Act of 1964....

...Pre-K: Who Will Control Cash Flow, Positions?....

...It is up to us to voice concerns and to make our voice heard.... 

...Bills include tobacco restrictions, bullying prevention, safe places for youth....

...78 events and activities across the Aloha State, including open house events at schools, school fairs, homeschool information sessions, and other celebrations....

...Public agencies tend to delay or not perform preventive and predictive maintenance. Lack of preventive maintenance of assets of any type leads to deterioration that only accelerates as the maintenance is put off....

...In a budget briefing at the legislature at about this time last year, Department of Education officials reported that their backlog of repair and maintenance jobs was $293 million, and they were patting themselves on the back because it was a significant drop from the $392 million reported in 2010....