I didn't "enjoy" your column regarding our broken education department, Dave, 'cause how can we enjoy bad news?

But your column seems accurate to me.

By the way, I don't normally agree with Hemmings (or "Sonny from Kapolei!"), and I won't now: the situation at the DOE is far worse than he thinks.

The answer is not to subdivide the state into separate school boards. What is appropriate in a mainland state with a contiguous land mass would be even more damaging here.

The solution is simple (doesn't mean easy): get back to the focus on education- support the good teachers, and the students will reap the benefit.

In other words, get out of the ancillary programs such as facility empire building of which any educator administrator now and in general typically is incompetent.

Quit throwing more crap including all these fad passing programs on the teachers, admin.

This doesn't mean you can't support true change and innovation such as the best of the charters- provided they support the teachers.

We need to quit accepting a lousy national average as a goal (Hawaii should LEAD; go to the head of the class).

On a sour note, our best teachers leave the profession. Their sad history is that of having the less than optimum union, no support by the admin, the parents or the community.

This gotta change.

... couldn't agree more with you on the "College and Career Ready" diploma. If that's what this new one is good for ... what good will the other one be? Shame, shame on the DOE.