REPRESENTATIVE LYNN FINNEGAN PRAISES GOVERNOR'S VETO OF EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

HONOLULU - House Minority Leader and Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, Lynn Finnegan, issued the following statement regarding Governor Lingle's decision to veto HB2377, which would have established an advisory committee to select individuals for future governors to consider naming to the Board of Education:

“I am very encouraged by the Governor’s veto of HB2377, a bill that would have forced future governors to nominate individuals for the Board of Education from a list submitted by an advisory committee. 

“This bill served only to further fragment the leadership and accountability in Hawai‘i’s education system.  As I have stated for years, much of Hawai‘i’s public education challenges arise because there is no clear line of accountability between the Board of Education, the governor and the legislature. 

“It is important to note that I am supportive of the constitutional amendment that would make the Board of Education a governor-appointed board.  Placing this responsibility in the hands of our future governors will make our state’s elected executive accountable for education performance. However, with the proposed advisory council structure of HB2377, we would have been left with the same status quo, a system of shared responsibility and no full accountability.

“As Lt. Governor, my focus will be to ensure Hawai‘i’s public education is focused on its first customer, the students.  I also plan to serve as the liaison for the education community - parents, teachers, principals and students - to the Governor and the Legislature.  Linking the desires and needs of these groups with the realities of the state is a critical component to success.”

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