‘Together We Can’
I see a lot of “Together We Can” signs lately. It certainly is well-chosen for the present administration.
“Together We Can”:
— close down the Ka‘u Family Center at a time when it is greatly needed … after all, there aren’t many Ka‘u residents, and they are malcontents anyway;
— stop sending mulch down and send empty garbage trucks instead … they will forget soon and will manage somehow;
— ignore the need for commercial space in Naalehu … just take opinion polls every 10 years and ignore those results also, but it will look like we are doing something;
— support a “bio-fuel” plant there … other areas of the island are politically powerful enough to fight it off, and we can ignore the lack of infrastructure and the increased demand for water while in a long-term drought … add a little smoke, some mirrors, mention “jobs,” and it’s done;
— plan to put an open-lagoon sewage disposal upwind from the Naalehu grade school … we are sure that the residents miss the odor of the recently closed dairy, and this will make them feel more at home;
— close down the local judicial office … so what if local folks have to drive 120 miles to contest a ticket, they’re law-breakers anyway;
— delay and obstruct the new office of our Dr. (Kevin) Stuef for over two years at a cost of over $200,000;
— ignore all the derelict buildings … they are a long way from Hilo and the weeds hide most of them;
— ignore Kawa Bay and continue to evade our duty for three administrations … we can always do another survey if the local pressure gets too high.
But, after all this, remember to get in the parades, and, please … wear your leis.
Harvey W. McDaniel
Naalehu
Nepotism and DOE
Why are Hawaii’s schools always close to last place in the nation? America’s ranking in the world is pretty bad.
In math we come in at No. 33, behind Russia and the Slovak Republic. In science we come in at No. 22, behind Poland and the Czech Republic.
Why is Hawaii’s DOE so ineffective? Management. And no real accountability, because these people protect each other, instead of having professional oversight in the DOE, like a main personnel office that does all hiring, preferably on the mainland.
Personnel offices in the schools are run by friends and family for the most part. Anyone working for the DOE who was hired by someone they know did not earn their job.
If a child receives a failing grade, they do not pass. So why are people working at schools that do poorly allowed to keep their positions?
Why are area superintendents allowed to keep positions they obviously are not qualified for? Because they have friends and relatives keeping them there.
So how do they hire just friends and family, you ask? Hiring is often done at each individual school. They get a list to choose from. If they do not recognize a name, they wait for the next list. They interview in between, and do not hire. Once they get a list with a friend or relative’s name on it, they interview and hire that person.
And the children of Hawaii suffer as a result.
Dennis Chaquette
Keaau
