Quoted Study, Missing Important Caveat, is Misleading
Sex, drugs and Obamacare: Questions get personal, with no privacy guarantee
DoE Principals Evaluation System Heading to Arbitrator -- after Nine Years
SA: The Department of Education and the union representing school principals are still negotiating terms of a performance evaluation system that factors in student achievement — nine years after lawmakers mandated performance contracts for principals.
The parties had agreed to implement the new evaluations — with half of a principal's rating based on academic achievement data and the other half on leadership attributes — this school year under a memorandum of agreement announced in January with the Hawaii Government Employees Association.
At the time, union officials said key aspects remained unresolved, including what the consequences would be for principals deemed unsatisfactory, and what the incentives would be for those rated highly.
Tying the evaluations to high-stakes personnel decisions — such as raises and dismissal — appears to be a sticking point as the parties try to negotiate a new labor contract for principals.
The old contract for HGEA's Unit 6, which covers about 700 educational officers, expired June 30.
Under the state's collective bargaining law, a statutory impasse is declared Jan. 31 of a year in which an existing contract is set to expire.
The contract dispute will head to an arbitration hearing Oct. 21 unless the parties settle before then.
SA: Settle principals' evaluations now
read ... Details of new system weigh down educators' contract talks with state
Initiative for privatization of hospitals remains alive
MN: Since last summer, board members had been in discussion with Arizona-based Banner Health, one of the country's largest nonprofit hospital systems. But public union leaders and hospital employees, including nurses, clerks and hospital technicians, were among those alarmed that privatizing the hospital would jeopardize (union control of) current and future employees (and embarrass the HGEA by vastly increasing hospital workers pay). More than 100 testifiers submitted written testimony against the hospital privatization measure, and the bill died in conference committee.
Because enabling legislation was not passed last year, negotiations have since come to a standstill, board members said.
"We are currently not in any active talks with Banner," said Avery Chumbley, acting chief executive officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. "Banner indicated they may still be interested, but it would require us to get the enabling legislation passed, and even then they have not made any commitments."
Banner Health is not the only option on the table, Chumbley said. The board also has reached out to local health care systems, including Hawaii Pacific Health and The Queen's Medical Center, as well as potential Mainland partners that operate on the East Coast.
"It's too early to say at this point, but not all talks have ceased," Chumbley said. "We're starting to explore (our options) and see who would be interested in a partnership."...
He admitted, though, hospital administrators were "underprepared in the delivery and information sharing with stakeholder groups" when the measure was first introduced last year, a mistake they are working to rectify. He said a detailed communications plan will be shared with all employees, public union members, other health care providers and other stakeholders before any draft legislation is submitted.
Green, a lawmaker and Big Island emergency room doctor, said he hopes to pass enabling legislation this coming session, but he must first ensure that "we are all on the same page."
read ... Initiative for privatization of hospitals remains alive
Sweeps are Helping Push Homeless into Shelters
SA: Residents who have followed the homelessness issue might watch the high-profile discussions on keeping the sidewalks clear, and assume that's the only thing that's been happening. Enforcing the ban on storing private property on city property — and the latest proposal to ban lying down on sidewalks, too — continues to keep city crews busy and garner the headlines.
Behind the scenes, however, homelessness initiatives are entering a new phase, one that increasingly involves partnering government officials with church groups and other volunteers. Progress on one of Oahu's knottiest social problems has been gradual and sometimes halting, but it's progress all the same.
That's the assessment of various service providers and leaders, among them Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services. The sidewalk ban was supported by IHS....
Among the multiple efforts in government and nonprofit sectors:
» The city's Housing First project, in which various units will be identified and rented for homeless clients, is moving ahead. A request for proposals just went out, said Pamela Witty Oakland, director of the Department of Community Services, and a contractor to run the program will be selected by Nov. 8.
» The national homelessness campaign known as 100,000 Homes is being led locally by the coalition Partners in Care, and is working to find homes for the most vulnerable among the homeless population, including veterans.
» The Homeless Assistance Working Group, a volunteer panel convened by state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, deploys "block captains" to their home communities to discover the needs of their homeless, and tap resources from the people to work on projects to property owners with land or housing units.
» The Legislature allotted $100,000 for the development of prototype, low-cost housing alternatives that can be built quickly and meet city codes...
Some people aren't ready to be housed at all and may require other kinds of help and counseling first more pressure to be applied....
SA: In the quest for lowest-cost housing, innovation includes code compliance
read ... Keep Pushing
Kakaako Follows Discredited Urban Planning Approach
SA: Despite established zoning regulations, most of the developments seek to maximize height, minimize setbacks, and squeeze as much parking and as little landscaping as can be approved.
Notable exceptions are Kamehameha Schools' SALT project, Howard Hughes Corp.'s remodel of the IBM Building, and HCDA's own commitment to utilize the Royal Brewery.
Otherwise, small-scale buildings and open spaces are being sacrificed to this sky city of the future.
Livable cities around the world found that preserving human scale and historic value provide for a rich urban environment. The vibrant mix resulting from retaining historic districts and structures while adding contemporary, well-designed buildings is evident in Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.
The downside of poorly planned development was demonstrated by the "urban renewal" movement of the 1960s, when turn-of-the-century buildings were demolished and replaced by towering skyscrapers and sterile parking lots.
This discredited approach to urban planning is once again evident in the piecemeal approvals happening throughout Kakaako. As the state agency responsible for the district, HCDA has the opportunity to put a stop to this short-sighted way of doing business.
read ... Historic Hawaii Foundation
When UH asks for money, Legislature say no, no, no
Borreca: ...after reading Star-Advertiser reporter Nanea Kalani's story on the University of Hawaii's plan to ask next year's state Legislature for extra funds to pay for money owed professors, all I could hear was Chris Tucker screaming at Jackie Chan in "Rush Hour."
"Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"
The idea offered by new interim UH President David Lassner is that UH will float its own revenue bonds to pay for building repair and the Legislature, via the taxpayers, will pay the profs....
Related: Man at center of university procurement scandal back on the job
SA: Issuing bonds for UH fixes worth a look, UHPA pay 'problematic'
read ... When UH asks for money, Legislature say no, no, no
Preschool: Artificial Crisis Creates Possibilities
SA: Efforts to provide junior kindergarten for the past several years recently were deemed unsatisfactory and the program was discontinued; in conjunction with this, the law was changed, requiring that children must reach their fifth birthday by the end of July in a given year to be eligible for school entry in August, leaving many families in a difficult situation. Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, these families will have to find space in preschool programs for their children, postponing public school kindergarten entry for a year. (Translation: We created a crisis.)
Part of the solution may be to change laws on how tax dollars are spent. Despite criticism by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Senate Bill 1084 was passed by the 2013 Legislature, posing the question to the taxpayers through a constitutional amendment on the 2014 ballot: Shall public funds be appropriated for the support of private early education programs, as provided by law?
The union considers this a movement toward vouchers and prefers providing a more targeted approach to preschool subsidies.
Best Comment: "As a parent of a late born 4 year old our family is being forced by the Governor, Governor-appointed BOE, and legislature to delay her enrollment into kindergarten for an entire year, costing us and about 4,000 other families $8000 each. I have zero patience for the lies told to the people of this state by the politicians and people like this author that Hawaii has in any way, shape or form expanded pre-school. What has occurred is that the Governor et. al. has decided to defund and cancel pre-k and implemented a law that requires all families to send their kids to preschool instead."
Related: Temptation: Offered Millions, Catholics Reject Abercrombie's Attempt to Re-Write Curriculum
read ... Preschool: Partnerships and possibilities
Hawaii National Guard discuss possible changes as budget cuts loom
KHON: the Defense Department’s budget taking a $34 billion hit this year.
“We’ve been always worried about Pearl Harbor being BRAC’d. Now there’s a definite concern of whether the Army can stay here in numbers because of the budget constraints for readiness. It’s no longer you can travel to places to train. You really need to train in the base that you’re at, so those are a lot of the decisions being looked at right now in the Pentagon,” State Adjutant General Darryll Wong said.
Recently the governor put together a sequestration committee to solidify Hawaii’s role with the military in the Pacific.
“The financial foundation that enables us to have the training, to have the infrastructure, to have the equipment, to have the capacity, to carry out the missions that are expected of the National Guard are under attack,” Governor Neil Abercrombie said.
read ... Budget Cuts
The FCC ignores local TV news’ quiet consolidation strategy
CJR: In Hawaii, back in 2009, an advocacy (Stalinist) group calling itself Media Council Hawaii argued to the FCC that the consolidation of operations between the three Honolulu news operations, in effect, violated rules limiting a single company’s holdings in a single market. FCC rules prohibit one company from owning more than one station in the same market, with a small number of exceptions, such as if the two stations’ service areas do not overlap (none of these exceptions applied in Hawaii). The FCC examined the case, and staff members report having serious misgivings about the deal.
But ultimately, the commission decided that it could not reject a shared-services agreement for violating ownership limits because no broadcast license had changed hands. Its 2011 ruling on the matter stated that “further action on our part is warranted with respect to this and analogous cases” to determine if such deals are “consistent with the public interest.” But it has not followed up with any such action.
Background: Raycom Honolulu TV Deal: Honolulu Community Media Council has its own issues with "media control"
DN: Columbia Journalism Review recaps media consolidation in Hawaii
read ... Columbia Journalism Review
Kahuku Residents Refuse Buy Offer, Sue
HNN: The families are battling Continental Pacific, a real estate development company, based in Florida. The business bought the village land from the Estate of James Campbell in 2006. In 2011, the families were offered to buy the land and homes for $75,000 each, but the price soon doubled. According to Locricchio, it was because Continental Pacific was going to pay for infrastructure improvements and an archeological study after burial sites were found.
"Broken promises," says Molia Salanoa, who lives in a home right across the street from the Kahuku Golf Course.
Salanoa says he got an eviction notice in February after he refused to buy the property, 'as-is'. He says he wanted the improvements made first.
read ... $75K for a House on Oahu
GMOs Key to Kauai's Future
KGI: “Tourism will continue to grow,” he told about 400 people who attend the 39th annual First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook Forum at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa on Thursday.
And a key to that future, he said during his 25-minute talk, are coffee and seed companies.
In 1987, Kauai had over 50,000 acres of cropland. As of 2007, it dropped to about 22,000 acres.
In that same time span, hired agriculture workers dropped from more than 2,000 to less than 1,300.
“These declines would have been even greater without the rise of coffee, seed corn and other diversified ag ventures,” he said, a comment which drew applause from some in the crowd.
read ... Applause
Geothermal Health Study Published
HTH: Mayor Billy Kenoi says he intends to implement the recommendations of the Geothermal Public Health Assessment, including a comprehensive health effects study for Puna.
Such a study on the impacts of geothermal development has been lacking, the group that put together the report on behalf of Hawaii County concluded, with insufficient monitoring also complicating efforts to understand if the public’s health is at risk.
The group consisted of a dozen residents of Puna, home to the state’s only geothermal power plant, Puna Geothermal Venture, and was coordinated by Peter Adler of Accord Consultants. Its report was finalized Sept. 9 and can be viewed at www.accord3.com/pg68.cfm....
The study group’s report notes that there were health effects caused by the blowout, which released 180 pounds per hour of hydrogen sulfide, but what impact continued operation of the plant has had over the last two decades remains uncertain.
The group recommends a health study address four hypotheses: central nervous system degradation will be higher in a sample population as a result of peak exposure to hydrogen sulfide; central nervous system degradation and other health effects from hydrogen sulfide will be greater in areas of highest exposures; contamination of heavy metals and chemicals from geothermal development may have impacted drinking water supplies; and residents who live closest to PGV may be more likely to show anxiety disorder symptoms.
How soon such a study could be implemented remains to be seen.
“We know this is going to take a few months,” Kenoi said. “We would like to move as quickly and as expeditiously as possible.
“To get this done by the end of the year or early 2014, that would be great."
(NOTE: Puna is the only place on Earth where idiots are harping over alleged 'health effects' from geothermal.)
Google: "Geothermal Health Risks"
read ... Mayor backs health study
1970s 'Energy House' Sat Abandoned, Full of Rats
SA: The University of Hawaii Press published the "Hawaii Home Energy Book" by Pearson in 1978, which detailed many of the energy conservation ideas incorporated in the Energy House.... Then the price of oil came back down, and the urgency to conserve energy waned.
Initially used as a residence, the Energy House was converted to classroom space and then used as a sort of storage shed. By the time it was handed over to a small group of professors from the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources in 2010, the structure was in serious disrepair due to lack of adequate maintenance....
Her first visit to the house was an eye-opener, Martini said. The floor sagged in places where the post-and-beam foundation had slipped off its footings, the rain gutters had trees growing in them, the roof leaked and rats had taken up residence. Fortunately, Pearson's choice of redwood for most of the construction had kept the house termite-free.
Martini said her initial reaction was to go to the UH administration and say, "Thanks but no thanks."....The original solar water heating system fell apart and needs to be replaced....
read ... Utopia Revealed
Tsunami Debris: Ecos Saddened over loss of Hype
AP: In Washington, for example, the last piece of identified tsunami debris was from April. Officials there credit the lack of tsunami debris to ocean currents and wind. In Oregon, calls to a marine debris hotline are only averaging about one a day.
NOAA gave each of the five West Coast states $250,000 initially from a $5 million gift from the Japanese government to clean-up debris. Oregon hasn't spent that money yet, though state parks spokesman Chris Havel said officials are stocking up on supplies and preparing for this fall and winter, when more debris is expected.
Eben Schwartz, marine debris program manager for the California Coastal Commission, said the issue is somewhat fading from the public's mind....
read ... Keep Hype Alive
H-Power: Subcontractors Sue Parsons over Change Orders
A company that worked on the $302 million project to expand the city's HPOWER waste-to-energy facility by installing a third boiler has sued the project's general contractor, claiming it is owed nearly $12.6 million for additional work done because of more than 100 change orders that nearly doubled the amount of its contract.
The lawsuit suggests that the project was rushed, which led to "an incomplete design" and a "continual flood of changes during construction."
American Electric Co.'s suit against Parsons RCI Inc., the general contractor for the project, was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Monday.
Neither the city nor Covanta Energy Co., which operates HPOWER for the city, are party to the lawsuit.
However, city spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke confirmed that the city is a party to a separate lawsuit filed by Bering Sea Environmental LLC, which did insulation work on the project, claiming that it is also owed money by Parsons for work it had done. At least one other company subcontracted on the project reached a settlement with various parties, sources said.
read ... Rush Job
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