SSCR3496

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3496

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 706, 707

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 706 and 707, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Board of Education

G.M. No. 706

DONALD HORNER,

for a term to expire 6-30-2017; and

G.M. No. 707

JAMES WILLIAMS,

for a term to expire 6-30-2017,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Donald Horner and James Williams to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Board of Education.

DONALD HORNER

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Donald Horner from the Board of Education; Hui for Excellence in Education; Kanu o ka ‘Āina Learning ‘Ohana; Hawaii Association of Independent Schools; Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i; Friends of Civil Rights; Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i; Nursing Advocates & Mentors, Inc.; National Federation of Filipino American Association Region 12; Filipino American Citizens League; Filipino Coalition for Solidarity; Hawai‘i Public Charter Schools Network; Hawaii Business Roundtable; The Salvation Army; and nineteen individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the nomination of Mr. Horner from Girl Fest Hawaii, Rainbow Family 808, Americans for Democratic Action Hawai‘i, Hawaii Guerrilla Video Hui, Gay Lesbian and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and fifty-nine individuals. Your Committee received comments on the nomination of Mr. Horner from three individuals.

Your Committee finds that 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 retired as 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.

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 has served as the Chair of the Board of Education since 2011. His professional background provides him with an insight into strategic planning and personnel management.

Under the tenure of Mr. Horner, the newly appointed Board of Education has taken on a number of challenging issues, including but not limited to the adoption of more rigorous diploma requirements in Board of Education Policy 4540 that are aligned with the State's college and career readiness goals; successful implementation of Act 130, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011, which was a complete recodification of the State's charter school law; creation of the first ever joint Board of Education and Department of Education strategic plan to align the Board and Department's goals and overall vision and direction; and approval of a phase-in schedule to ensure that all Department of Education schools are accredited by 2019.

Through his leadership, the Board of Education increased public accessibility to the Board by holding over 400 stakeholder meetings statewide; holding over 169 committee and Board meetings since 2011; instituting chair office hours, which take place twice a month usually between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. following Board meetings; and creating an independent hotline with an audit trail to provide opportunities for individuals to express their concerns anonymously.

Working with fellow Board of Education members, Mr. Horner has made it a priority to increase access to state public libraries by expanding hours of operation to include weekend hours; improve the Board of Education's student representation selection process to increase the student voice by supporting the participation of students from all forty-four high schools; approve the revision of Hawaiian education program policies to ensure that the related constitutional and statutory mandates are appropriately effected; and implement and manage the risk assessment of the Department of Education and the Board of Education's resulting audit plan, specifically creating a committee to proactively investigate and address audit-related findings.

Much of the testimony in opposition to Mr. Horner centered around his affiliation with New Hope Diamond Head as a Pastor, as well as concerns regarding public accessibility to Board of Education members and the Board's meetings. Your Committee engaged Mr. Horner in a full discussion on the issues and concerns raised, and upon completion, indications were clear that steps were continuously taken to improve the transparency and accessibility of the Board of Education. Mr. Horner reiterated that while he has never attempted to hide his religious affiliation, he made clear that he has never imposed it upon our school system through his position on the Board of Education or in Board policy.

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

JAMES WILLIAMS

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of James Williams from the Board of Education, Hui for the Excellence in Education, Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i, and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that Mr. 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 has been a member of the Board of Education since 2011. During this time, he has served on the Board of Education's Finance and Infrastructure Committee, Student Achievement Committee, Audit Committee, and Human Resources Committee.

As the Chair of the Human Resources Committee, Mr. Williams has provided leadership in developing a strategic plan for staff success; drafting Board policies on performance, evaluation, and pay; and adopting and implementing a comprehensive evaluation process for the Superintendent of Education and State Librarian.

Mr. Williams brings a unique and varied background in education, administration, and business to the Board of Education, and he continues to contribute his high level of knowledge and professionalism to 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 N. TOKUDA, Chair