Apportion State BOE by Geographic District: The People of Hawaii Should Reject the Idea of an Appointed State Board of Education

BY GEORGE BERISH – An appointed Board of Education beholden to its appointer seems foolish.

An OPED — Office of Public Education – modeled after OHA seems smarter.  Give OPED its 20% of gross ceded land revenues, and a publicly elected Board.  Limit Board eligibility to parents whose children attend public schools.  But make its job lobbying for better public schools for all — instead of special perks for a few.

Today, parents beg for lawmakers attention, because they lack the millions other groups have to buy it, e.g. OHA, the teachers’ unions and Hawaii’s richest industry – Tourism (that competes with places that rely on poor education to produce cheap labor).

Creating OPED with a parents-only Board, and hundreds of millions for lobbying, would let parents command attention, not beg for it.  Schools would improve.

George L. Berish is a resident of Kakaako, Hawaii

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