Ka Leo Hana - January 1971: Consensus

August 1970

January 1971

March 1971

First Call to Convention
Help Wanted
ABC Election Night Special (Beverly Carter)
Ethics Legislation
School Study
Consensus - School Study
School Study: Where Do We Go From Here?
State Board
Preserving the Ecology of the Islands (Gretel McLane)
Attention Honolulu County League Members

Consensus - School Study
September 1970
THE HAWAII STATE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS BELIEVES THAT EDUCATION IS A UNIQUE FUNCTION OF STATE GOVERNMENT and therefore:
...VOTERS SHOULD ELECT PEOPLE CHARGED WITH THE SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITY OF GUIDING EDUCATION.
...THERE SHOULD BE A STATE BOARD AS A STRONG, INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE OF EDUCATION.
...A STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE SELECTED BY A STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SHOULD BE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE STATE SYSTEM.
...THE STATE CONSTITUTION SHOULD SPECIFY HOW STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ARE TO BE SELECTED, WHO WILL SELECT THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, AND DEFINE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S TIORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOARD.

To expand on this consensus statement a little members, and to give some guidelines on what they might try to convey to any legislators with whom they have an opportunity to discuss our Study and position, the committee would like to stress the following points.
....Voters should elect etc... Note that this does not restrict our position to election only of State Board members. A strong feeling emerged from consensus discussion that League members feel some more local, responsive structure might be developed to bring educational policy setting closer to the people. The State school system is moving toward a "complex" system of administration. Something might be done under this complex organization to decentralize some of the policy making authority. Your committee will be updating you on the progress of the complex plan in the next few months. The point is, our consensus indicates League members do not feel necessarily "status quo" is the only satisfactory system that can be evolved, but League members do want to have citizen involvement in the elective process at some level of educational structure.
.....There should be a State Board etc...Recorders' notes indicate members are hopeful the State Board will develop a strong posture as representative of the people in this single area of concern... education.
....A State Superintendent of Education etc... Members expressed a concern that the Superintendent be free from political Pressures and felt selection by the Board, rather than appointment by the Governor would more likely assure independence. Members feel that the Superintendent's first responsibility should be to the Board.
....The State Constitution etc.... Here too, you should note that our position does not say the present Constitutional
Provisions are the only desirable structure. We are reiterating that we espoused during the campaign against the ballot Proposals...That the State Constitution should outline the educational structure, thereby providing the citizens of the State with assurance that the structure will not be changed without their consent.

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