BOE to convene two virtual meetings this Thursday, Jan. 20
Posted: January 16, 2022
This weekend, we appreciate and celebrate the life and lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who championed speaking out against injustice during the American civil rights movement. Mahalo to Dr. King for his work and the legacy he has left as our country continues with myriad struggles.
On Thursday, Jan. 20, the Hawaii Board of Education (BOE) will hold a series of meetings. As you are well aware, there are a number of challenges going on in Hawaii’s public schools. Your voices and written testimony are needed to ensure that board members are fully aware of the realities within our schools, especially since the new semester has begun.
Below are a number of agenda items you might want to submit testimony about.
10:30 a.m. Human Resources Committee Meeting
View agenda
Are you within your first five years of teaching and how are you feeling about remaining as a teacher in our public schools? Are you a recipient of one of the shortage differentials (special education, geographic hard-to-staff, or Hawaiian language immersion) and have the shortage differentials made a difference in your career choice? If the shortage differentials go away, how will that affect you?
1:30 p.m. General Business Meeting
View agenda
Is there anything you want the Search Committee and/or the Advisory Group to take into consideration on the selection of the next HIDOE superintendent?
For those of you in affected areas, how has the water contamination from the Red Hill fuel storage tanks affected your students and your working conditions? What should the HIDOE be doing about the situation? Should the BOE join others, including HSTA, Sierra Club, and elected officials, in calling for the draining and decommissioning of the tanks?
How is COVID-19 affecting you, your students, and your school, especially since returning from the winter break? Are you getting proper PPE? Is testing going on at your school and, if so, is it effective? Does your school feel supported by HIDOE leadership? Does your school have a contingency plan? If so, was it shared with you and your school community?
Submit testimony to voice your thoughts, concerns
If you are affected by any of the above topics, please email written testimony to Testimony.BOE@boe.hawaii.gov for any and all relevant topics. Hearing and reading your feedback is important for BOE members to have a better understanding about what is going on in our schools and helps board members to ask pertinent questions of the HIDOE.
All testimony is public. However, if you do not want your personal information posted for written testimony, submit it as an attachment and include “NO PERSONAL INFORMATION” in the subject line, as outlined here.
Although the meetings will start before the end of your work day, should you wish to provide oral testimony, information on testifying orally via Webex can be found here. If you are not able to speak on a topic when the agenda item comes up, there is always an opportunity to provide late oral testimony at the end of each meeting.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often spoke in support of workers rights. On April 3, 1968, he gave a rousing speech in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, popularly known as his “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech. The next day, he was tragically gunned down and his powerful voice was silenced. However, the power of his words will never be silenced and shall continue for generations to come.
Even in our current situation, we can learn much from studying his many messages about standing strong and speaking out against injustice.
The Board of Education has the authority to direct the HIDOE to make immediate adjustments which affect workplace conditions and the well-being of those on our campuses. Let us work together in unity to let them know of the overwhelming struggles required to try and provide for the safety of our students, ourselves, and our school communities during these terribly difficult times.