Hirono tells HSTA leaders ‘We have to stand up for public education’

U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono told HSTA volunteer leaders Thursday that the Trump administration is mounting an “all-out assault on education, and it’s something we need to fight back against.”

She spoke with nearly 30 teachers in person at HSTA’s Oʻahu headquarters, with other educators watching on Zoom from across the state. Participants came from the HSTA Board of Directors and members of HSTA committees.

“We have to stand up for public education in a way we havenʻt been asked to before,” Hirono told the educators. “I’ve never seen an assault on education like I’m witnessing now.”

“There’s no oversight from the Republicans on anything that this president is doing. The only check we have right now is the courts,” Hirono said.

Her remarks came just hours after a federal judge blocked the U.S. Department of Education’s unprecedented and unlawful attempt to restrict discussions and programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational institutions, and its threat to withhold federal funding for engaging in such efforts.

“This is a complete overreach on the part of the federal government, in terms of curriculum and everything else,” Hirono said. “He (President Trump) is blaming DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts) for just about everything.”

“We have a president who doesn’t believe that the rule of law applies to him,” Hirono added, “He is trying to defang anybody who can fight back.”

Trump, she said, “is governing by executive order. Most of them are illegal.”

Trump’s actions have generated 200 court challenges. The state of Hawaiʻi has joined at least a dozen of those lawsuits, along with many other states and local governments.

Hirono also raised concerns about the Trump administration’s plans to send education funds to states via block grants, which usually have fewer requirements and safeguards.

“When you put money together in block grants, that is a good way to start decreasing the amount of support. And can you imagine block-granting to states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas? What do you think they’re going to do with their money? Title 1, programs that support the economically disadvantaged, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act special education aid). Do you think that those states are going to use those funds for those kinds of programs? I don’t think so. I’m not for the federal government swooping in and telling the states what to do and how to spend every dime, but block-granting is not the answer,” Hirono said.

Teachers from across Hawaiʻi share their concerns with Hirono

Susan Chandler, a special education teacher and literacy coach for the Kauaʻi District Office, told Hirono, “Public schools have been under attack since segregation, and the whole reason the federal government has a Department of Education is for the civil rights part of it. They haven’t been involved at the curriculum level. That’s left to the states, but now they’re saying they want to be involved at the curriculum level. So they’re all full of crap.”

Ryan Tong, who chairs the Social Studies Department at Waiʻanae High, expressed frustration at the Trump administration’s attempts to silence teachers.

“That’s their goal, right? It is to suppress what is actual history, and then to punish teachers who are actually going to be teaching real history, because what they want us to teach is propaganda, not history,” Tong said.

Kahuku High literacy coach and reading workshop teacher Karin Hansen del Rey told Hirono, “We are fighting all the way on all levels.”

“I am still teaching social justice education. I am still teaching lessons that are relevant and important to my students,” Hansen Del Rey said.

“I am working with kids who are three or more levels behind in reading, and it is an equity issue. There is no way I’m backing down, but I want us all to know none of us are backing down,” she added.

Ashley Olson, a teacher who works with multilingual students at Lahainaluna High on Maui, expressed concerns about potential federal budget cuts that would adversely affect public school students.

“We need the schools open to support our kids. We need them to be able to eat at school. We need to be able to teach them at school, which means that we need teachers. We need the support of the Department of Education and the federal government to forgive student loans for teachers, because otherwise it’s an unsustainable career,” Olson said.

How educators can fight back

Hirono offered four lines of effort to apply to every issue confronting educators and others today.

• Communication: “We need to communicate effectively what the heck is going on.”
• Litigation: “There are already over 200 lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive orders.”
• Legislation: “There’s legislation to fight back. For example, there are efforts nationwide to make it a lot harder to vote. We can make sure we are going to protect the right to vote.”
• Oversight: “Now we don’t have a lot of checks and balances at the federal level because we are not controlling the agenda.”