Kishimoto won’t renew DOE contract

Superintendent Christina Kishimoto announced today that she will not seek to renew her contract with the state Department of Education.

In a statement shared with Gov. David Ige, the state Board of Education and DOE employees, Kishimoto said she would serve out the remainder of her term. Her last day with the department will be July 30.

“It has been my great privilege to serve the students of Hawaii the past four years,” she said in the statement. “This is a generation of students who will lead as global change-makers with great aloha.

“During my time leading Hawaii’s public school system, I have enjoyed celebrating successes and milestones around amplifying student voice, elevating teacher leadership and vision, and setting bold strategic goals around student promises focused on innovative ideas and solutions toward a thriving and sustainable state,” she continued. “Together, we have accomplished a lot, but the path forward points to much work that still needs to be done.”

Kishimoto was tapped to lead the DOE nearly four years ago, initially signing a three-year contract that began Aug. 1, 2017, and was set to expire June 30, 2020.

The BOE, however, voted in December 2018 to extend her original contract by one year and is set to expire July 31.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Hawaii Government Employees Association, unions that represent teachers and principals, have recently opposed renewing her contract.