STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1265

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 651, 653, 654, 657, 659

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 654, 659, 653, 657, and 651, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

State of Hawai'i Board of Education

G.M. No. 651	DONALD G. HORNER, for a term to expire 6-30-2014;
G.M. No. 653	KIMBERLY GENNAULA HAGI, for a term to expire 6-30-2013;
G.M. No. 654	BRIAN J. DE LIMA, for a term to expire 6-30-2013;
G.M. No. 657	JAMES D. WILLIAMS, for a term to expire 6-30-2014; and
G.M. No. 659	WESLEY P. LO, for a term to expire 6-30-2014,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Donald G. Horner, Kimberly Gennaula Hagi, Brian J. De Lima, James D. Williams, and Wesley P. Lo, to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the State of Hawaii Board of Education.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Donald G. Horner from the Governor, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Business Roundtable, Kaneohe Ranch, Hui for Excellence in Education, Hawaii Education Matters, and four individuals.

     Mr. Horner received his undergraduate degree in business from the University of North Carolina.  He went on to receive his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California and is an honors graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.  From 1972 to 1976, Mr. Horner served in the United States Navy, obtaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 

Mr. Horner is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Hawaiian Bank.  He joined First Hawaiian Bank as a Credit Analyst in 1978. 

Mr. Horner serves on various boards, including serving as the Board Chair of the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, Board member and Treasurer of Iolani School, and Board member Emeritus of Mid-Pacific Institute.  He is the former Chair of the Governor's Economic Momentum Commission, Young Presidents' Organization of Hawaii, Hawaii Business Roundtable, and Hawaii Bankers Association. 

Mr. Horner served on the State's Reinventing Government Task Force, which was established to examine the current operations and organization of state government and make recommendations on making state government more efficient.

Most notably with regard to education, Mr. Horner served as Vice Chair of the Department of Education's Interagency Working Group established under Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004.  As part of the Working Group, Mr. Horner was instrumental in implementing important educational legislation and served on the Superintendent's Advisory Council. 

Mr. Horner expressed to your Committee that as Chairperson of the Board of Education, he intends to hit the ground running.  Mr. Horner's short-term goal is to review and amend the Board's by-laws and policies.  Mr. Horner supports conducting a policy audit of the Board as a necessary tool to validate and verify whether proper policies are in place and being adhered to. 

Mr. Horner's long-term goal as Chairperson of the Board of Education is to build an accurate set of metrics in order to better hold the Department of Education responsible for student achievement and fiscal accountability.  Mr. Horner testified that given his business background, he appreciates the significance and serious fiduciary responsibilities of the Board of Education in serving the State's approximately 178,000 public school students. 

Mr. Horner also expressed to your Committee that his professional background has given him an insight into strategic planning and personnel management.  Mr. Horner hopes, through the Superintendent of Education, to challenge Department of Education employees to be creative and flexible and to identify and embrace new methods of working smarter.

Mr. Horner's value of education and strong financial and managerial expertise will be invaluable assets to the Board of Education.  Mr. Horner's background provides him with the skills and experiences necessary to oversee an organization as complex and large as Hawaii's public school system.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Kimberly Gennaula Hagi from the Governor, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Hui for Excellence in Education, Hawaii Education Matters, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Kaneohe Ranch, Pacific Rim Christian College, and thirty-three individuals. 

     Your Committee finds that Kimberly Gennaula Hagi received a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.  Ms. Hagi is currently the Philanthropy Director of Kapiolani Health Foundation where she is responsible for prospecting, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors for the Kapiolani Medical Center's operations, capital campaign, and hospital programs. 

     Prior to working for Kapiolani Health Foundation, Ms. Hagi was a news anchor and senior newsroom manager for KGMB-TV.  She received numerous awards for her reporting. 

     Ms. Hagi has two young children who attend Hokulani Elementary and she has been very active in volunteering her time there.  She has also served on the Superintendent's Advisory Council and has been actively involved in The Learning Coalition.

     Ms. Hagi testified that she supports a policy audit of the Board of Education to find ways to streamline the efforts of the Board and give greater authority to the Department of Education. 

     Ms. Hagi also testified that she will use the skills she acquired as a news anchor and communications director to help foster and restore public confidence in public education.  She expressed to your Committee her desire that the Board of Education make use of social media to improve communication with the public and engage Hawaii's families, teachers, and students. 

     Ms. Hagi's experience as the Philanthropic Director at Kapiolani Health Foundation provides her with a unique perspective on the possibility of forging public-private partnerships to bolster Hawaii's public schools.  Ms. Hagi testified that she supports private-public partnerships in public schools and will encourage the Board of Education to think outside of the box on this issue.

     Ms. Hagi's energy and passion for public education will serve the Board of Education well.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Brian J. De Lima from the Governor; Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i; two members of the Hawai‘i County Council; Director of the Department of Liquor Control for the County of Hawai‘i; Managing Director of the Department of Liquor Control for the County of Hawai‘i; Office of the Corporation Counsel of the County of Hawai‘i; International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 50; ILWU Local 142; Hawaii State Teachers Association; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646 AFL-CIO; Kanehoe Ranch; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Education Matters; and 43 individuals.

     Brian J. De Lima is a graduate of Hilo High School and served as the Board of Education's first student member in 1972.  He then went on to receive his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 

     Mr. De Lima is an experienced trial attorney and a partner at the law firm of Crudele & De Lima.  He served for nearly a decade as the private bar attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii in Hilo.  Mr. De Lima continues to provide pro bono legal services for family law clients and participates in the Hawaii Lawyers Care Family Law Clinic.  Mr. De Lima has been recognized and honored as having the highest number of pro bono hours among attorneys in Hilo.

     Mr. De Lima also served three terms as a member of the Hawai‘i County Council and has extensive knowledge in planning, land use development, public works, and government financing.

     Mr. De Lima is a parent of a special needs child.  As such, he is familiar and has been involved with the Individualized Education Program process within the public school system.  Mr. De Lima expressed to your Committee that while being the parent of a special needs child provides him with a broader prospective, he does not see his role on the Board as that of an advocate for any one group.  Mr. De Lima stated the he will look at the big picture in doing what is best for Hawaii's education system. 

One of Mr. De Lima's goals for the Board of Education is to continue the movement toward the decentralization of the Department of Education.  Mr. De Lima expressed that the Board's role is to support the Superintendent of Education in holding principals and teachers accountable.  Mr. De Lima believes that this will result in greater student achievement. 

Mr. De Lima also expressed that he hopes that the Board will streamline its own policies to work more efficiently and effectively in how it governs the State's education system. 

When asked whether he believes that the Board of Education should re-examine its relationship with charter schools, Mr. De Lima responded that he is open to looking into that area.  Mr. De Lima stated that while he believes parents should be afforded the freedom to choose between public schools and charter schools, charter schools must be held accountable for the public funds they receive.

Mr. De Lima's professional background and involvement in the community provide him with the skills and insight necessary to be an effective member of the Board of Education. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of James D. Williams from United States Representative Colleen Hanabusa; the Governor; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Education Matters; Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science Public Charter School; Hawaii Charter Schools Network; Quality School Network; Voyager Public Charter School; Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly; Kaneohe Ranch; and seventeen individuals.

James D. Williams received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Drake University.  From January 2010 to May 2010, Mr. Williams served as the Interim Executive Director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association where he was responsible for, among other things, directing collective bargaining contract negotiations for Hawaii's public school teachers.

     From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Williams was the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, where he was responsible for administering benefits for approximately 180,000 state employees, retirees, and dependents.

     In 1994, Mr. Williams founded the Royal State Learning Foundation (formerly Royal State Trust), a non-profit foundation focused on the transformation of Hawaii's education system.  Mr. Williams also founded Voyager Public Charter School in Honolulu.  He has experience dealing with all aspects of school administration, including facilities and financial needs.  Mr. Williams has served as the Chair of the Voyager Charter School Local School Board and is currently the Board's Vice Chair.  He is also the Chair of the Board of the Voyager School Foundation. 

Mr. Williams also spent eleven years as a Social Studies teacher at Kaunakakai School and Molokai High and Intermediate School.

     Mr. Williams testified that while the Board of Education is accountable to the Governor, the Board is an independent entity whose job is to create policy and develop a long-term strategic plan for public education in the State.  Mr. Williams expressed that his long-term goal as a Board of Education member is to revamp high school programs to focus on better preparing students for post-secondary activities, including college, apprenticeship programs, and other vocational options. 

     When asked whether he would support a more formal relationship between the Board of Education and charter schools, Mr. Williams replied that he was open to exploring the issue.  

Mr. Williams brings a unique and varied background in education, administration, and business to the Board of Education. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Wesley P. Lo from United States Representative Colleen Hanabusa; the Governor; Director of Finance; Mayor of Maui County; a member of the Maui County Council; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Education Matters; Kaneohe Ranch; and six individuals.

     Wesley P. Lo received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado.  Mr. Lo currently serves as the Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Maui Region of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.  As Regional Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lo is responsible for the overall performance of Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital, and Lanai Community Hospital.  Prior to this, Mr. Lo was the Chief Financial Officer for Maui Memorial Medical Center and Maui Radiology Consultants. 

     Mr. Lo is also the former Director of Finance for the County of Maui and was responsible for the financial reporting and performance of a total annual budget of $268,000,000.  As Director of Finance, Mr. Lo was also responsible for Maui County's investments and strategic planning.  Mr. Lo was also heavily involved in various collective bargaining issues including labor negotiations. 

Mr. Lo has a strong financial background in public and private industry and an intricate understanding of public financing and bonds.  Mr. Lo also has experience with procurement and understands the need for flexibility and accountability when using public funds. 

Mr. Lo testified that he believes the role of the Board of Education is to make policy and not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Department of Education.  Mr. Lo expressed that the Board's role is to support the Superintendent of Education in achieving the goals and objectives set by the Board, as well as monitoring and holding the Superintendent accountable.

Mr. Lo's long-term goal as a member of the Board of Education is to determine the appropriate governance structure for the Department of Education to ensure that education is an integral part of each community and that schools are given the appropriate tools to optimize student potential. 

     Mr. Lo will bring a wealth of financial experience and expertise to his role as a member of the Board of Education. 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair