Sunday, December 1, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, October 23, 2009
Furloughs: Rep Ward backs raid on Hurricane Fund
By News Release @ 7:06 PM :: 9931 Views :: Maui County, Education K-12, Energy, Environment

 

The following statement was released today by the office of Rep Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai)

Furloughing educators during scheduled classroom times is inexcusable. Of all our investments, we should not cut back on education. We need to do whatever is necessary, including raiding the Hurricane Relief Fund and the Rainy Day Fund, to get our kids back in the classroom.  However, restoring these funds will, at best, give us back our already fragile system, which has left Hawaii's keiki behind nationally and internationally. With 163 school days, children in Hawaii will go to school over 2 months less than students in China and Indonesia, whose students go to school 220 school days a year. We need to develop long-term solutions, such as:

  • Increasing the mandatory school year to 200 days so Hawaii students can compete INTERNATIONALLY with students from countries that are scoring exponentially higher than Americans.
  • Enacting legislation that will expedite the processes for schools to convert waiver days and other development days to instructional days.
  • Enacting legislation that will expedite the processes for schools to extend their school days because even 20 minutes a day would make a difference.

Following today's first Friday Furlough, parents and family members must keep the heat on all government officials, particularly the Legislature who has the majority of the power to enact these changes and make our students whole, once again. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and dumbing down our kids' education is not the way we should go.

---30---

Editor's Note: This is what happens when one accepts the framework artificially created by the DoE and HSTA. 

All the money needed to make Hawaii public schools world-class is already in the DoE budget--even after cutbacks.  The problem is not lack of money.  It is fraud, cronyism, and corruption within the DoE and the willingness of the DoE and HSTA to furlough public school teachers and students in a cynical political maneuver designed to stampede the legislature into rewarding the DoE for its malfeasance by increasing taxes and raiding special funds.

The legislature can solve Hawaii's problem with one stroke and it won't cost a penny.  Enact legislation to make every school in the DoE system into a charter school.  This will also unleash the potential of Hawaii's students, teachers, and parents and will move Hawaii a long way towards attaining world-class educational standards.

Meanwhile individual parents can begin charter conversion of their children's school right now.   Every DoE school in Hawaii can be legally converted to a charter school under existing laws.  If enough parents step up, who needs the legislature? 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

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 Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii