Berg cancels BOE: To Elect or Not to Elect, asks public to attend forum at UH Manoa instead

Rep. Lyla Berg has canceled the panel discussion Board of Education: To Elect or Not to Elect that was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 at McKinley High School, and is asking everyone who planned to attend the event to instead attend a forum on the same subject sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Rep. Berg graciously canceled her planned event as the two events were scheduled at the same time.


"Because this issue is extremely important to us all and to the very future of secondary education in Hawai'i., I would ask everyone who was planning to attend my forum to attend the League of Women Voter' event," said Berg.

From a news release from the League of Women Voters - Hawaii: 

The Education Fund of the League of Women Voters will sponsor a forum to discuss the pros cons of the proposed constitutional amendment to change Hawaii's Board of Education member selection from elected to one that is appointed by the governor. The one-hour forum, moderated by Dean Avi Soifer, William S. Richard School of Law will be followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers and a wrap-up.
Forum members include:

• Benjamin Cayetano, former Governor of Hawai`i
• Joan Husted, former HSTA Executive Director
• Randy Roth, UH Law School professor
• Garrett Toguchi, Chair, Hawai`i State Board of Education.

Tuesday, Sept. 14
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
William S. Richard School of Law, Classroom 1.
Parking is available in the parking structure. Enter from Dole Street.
UH campus map at

The event is open to the public and will be taped by ‘Ōlelo, thus will be available for public viewing several times prior to the election on November 2. Please check www.lwv-hawaii.com for any updated information prior to the event.

Principals of the Year

Rep. Roy Takumi (far left), Rep. Lyla Berg (far right) and other House members congratulated Francine Honda as the 2009 Hawaii High School Principal of the Year, Tom Kurashige as the 2009 Hawaii Middle/ Elementary School Principal of the Year, and Ewa Beach Elementary School, Momilani Elementary School, and Royal Elementary School as the 2010 Hawaii Blue Ribbon Schools.

Leaders

Leaders. That was the word of the day. The capitol was bustling with the leaders of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Leaders of Hawaii Past and Present

During special floor presentations in their respective chambers, Senate and House lawmakers honored the efforts and bravery of the soldiers of the Hawaii Army National Guard, the Hawaii Army Reserve, and the Airmen and Airwomen of the Hawaii Air National Guard on their recent deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rep. K. Mark Takai and Rep. Tom Brower sponsored the resolution honoring the soldier. Takai is a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard and served with the 29th Brigade Combat Team in Kuwait for six months beginning in February of 2009.


Leaders of Hawaii Future

More than 45 middle and high school students who were selected for their winning essays shadowed state representatives and senators. The students wrote about a historic place and explained why it is significant to their community. They were also asked to propose a plan, as an elected official, to ensure the protection and preservation of that site. Over 300 essays were submitted. The event is coordinated annually by Rep. Lyla Berg and her office staff.

MLK Parade

Representatives Lyla Berg (D18-Niu Vally, Aina Haina, Wailupe, Kahala) and Tom Brower (D23-Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako) yesterday were spotted at the 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Parade, which began at Magic Island and culminated at Kapiolani Park with a post-parade Unity Rally. The parade and rally are sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition-Hawai`i (MLK).

The representatives (far left) are pictured with members of the League of Women Voters (LMV) in front of the Ilikai in Waikiki.

Photo from Cynthia Nyross.

Human Rights Day this week

The public is invited to participate in the 5th annual Human Rights Day at the Hawaii State Capitol on Thursday, March 12 2009 from 9 a.m. - noon.

The event provides an opportunity for the public and legislators to learn about the work being done by dozens of nonprofit groups sharing a vision of justice and the advancement of human rights.

The theme of this year’s event is “Culture of Peace”. Among the groups that will be taking part are ACLU, American Friends Service Committee, and the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace.

Human Rights Day began as a way to call attention to and support the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It celebrates and recognizes community efforts that affirm the dignity of all human beings, bring about social justice, and honor the uniqueness of life in Hawaii.

Human Rights Day is hosted by Representative Lyla Berg (District 18, Hahaione-Kahala).

For more information, please contact Jen Wilbur at 586-6510.

Human Rights Day scheduled for early March at Capitol

Human Rights Day, "Creating a Culture of Peace", is scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2009 from 9 a.m. to noon. Human rights organizations and non-profits will have tables and displays along the 4th floor lanai of the Hawaii State Capitol for the public and lawmakers to talk and gather information.

"Creating a Culture of Peace" is a free event for community members and locally based organizations to gather, exchange information and network with legislators and others who share the common vision of advancing human rights and spreading awareness of justice. It celebrates and recognizes community efforts toward affirming the dignity of all human beings, bringing about social justice and honoring the uniqueness of life in Hawaii. This event was originally motivated by the United Nations' practice of honoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

9 Advocates of Children and Youth Recognized

Coaches and managers of the Waipio Little League team who championed the 2008 World Little League Series took a break from lunch to take a photo with state lawmakers (back left to right) Rep. Lyla Berg, Rep. John Mizuno, Speaker Calving Say, Rep. Cindy Evans, and Sen. Norman Sakamoto.

The Keiki Caucus, McDonald's Restaurant and Hawaii Children's Trust Fund honored Outstanding Advocates for Children and Youth today at a luncheon at Washington Place.

The winners:

Adult Friends for Youth has provided therapeutic, preventive, intervention, educational, and individual and group mental health support services to high-risk youth across racial divides for over 22 years to break the cycle of violence, despair and unhealthy lifestyles that are often passed down from generation to generation. AFY was nominated by Jean McIntosh.

Natasha Garcia has been an advocate for a diabetes cure over the past 7 years since being diagnosed with Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes at 6 years old. She has participated in several awareness campaigns to educate people on this incurable condition and is driven to empower others to keep the fight and search for a cure alive. She helps to connect newly diagnosed families with veteran families to develop support networks. Garcia was nominated by Manya Levin, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Principal Myron Monte (Dole Middle School) has been a visionary leader for education and has created a culture of achievement by using student-based education that instills in his students the confidence to excel in school and life. He was recognized as the 2008 recipient of the Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership because of his extraordinary leadership and commitment to students and staff. Principal Monte was nominated by Keith Besario.

Minna Sugimoto volunteers as a coach for Special Olympics. She is a mentor and friend to children athletes, helping them discover their inner potential and self-worth. She was nominated by Zahid Arab.

The First Tee of Hawaii organization promotes youth development and education by its Life Skills curriculum through the game of golf. The program is free to 40 percent of participants who come from low-income families. Other participants pay only $25 annually. Since the chapter's founding in 2004 it has made a significant impact on approximately 800 of Hawaii's youth between the ages of 7-18 on Oahu, Molokai and Maui. The non-profit was nominated by Ken Zitz, Executive Director.

The Kalihi Education Coalition provides ten $1,000 scholarships annually to well deserving students from schools in the Kalihi District. The non-profit also sponsors the "Kids-in-Sports" program, which requires 5th graders to complete an academic assignment in order to participate in special volleyball, basketball and softball tournaments. Erwin Gabrillo nominated the organization.

Angela Thomas is a dedicated worker with the Good Beginnings Alliance Organization. She has coordinated many programs that help Hawaii children. As project leader for the Baby Steps Program, Thomas has been instrumental in the success of the Baby Basket Program on the Big Island, which provides new mothers and their infants with a start-up basket of essential newborn items. She was nominated by Representative Cindy Evans (D7-N. Kona, S. Kohala).

Gloria Tumbaga, a registered nurse and third-year medical student, is an active volunteer with Aloha Medical Mission, an organization that provides free medical treatment to underserved areas abroad and in Hawaii. She has been on goodwill missions to Micronesia, Laos,
Bangladesh, Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Tumbaga was nominated by Joanne Tachibana, President of United Nations Association Hawaii Division.

Waipio Little League 2008 managers and coaches, Timo Donahue, Kiha Akua and Gregg Tugawa, took their team of little leaguers straight to the world championships. They have been inspirational role models to our youth and have nurtured the confidence, skills and sportsmanship of their team. Ty Diaz Cullen nominated the coaches and managers.

Rep. Lyla Berg Comments on Creating Vibrant Democracy

Tomorrow, Sept. 17th, is Constitution Day. It's a day created by Congress in 2004 for people to reflect on our country's democracy and whether our government is living up to its mandate of being "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Rep. Lyla Berg wrote a commentary for The Honolulu Advertiser on what is needed to create and maintain a vibrant democracy which was published in this morning's paper. Despite our efforts in civic education, she sees some troubling signs:

Yet two troubling trends underlie the increase in youth turnout. First, we risk being lulled into the false assumption that youth voting is all we need to ensure a healthy democracy. Second, the young people who do vote are disproportionately white and middle or upper class. Both these trends represent serious threats to the legitimacy of American democracy.

Active citizenship demands far more than spending a few minutes in a voting booth. To determine the health of our democracy, we need to ask more of our young people. Are they reading the newspaper? Are they discussing politics and public policy with friends, family, teachers? Are they engaged in local politics? Are they participating in community service?

Real Life Heroes - Teachers of the Year

On Friday, March 28th, the House congratulated Pascale Pinner as the 2008 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year, as well as the Hawaii State District Teachers of the Year. The Resolution was offered by House Education Chair, Rep. Roy Takumi and Seconded by Education Vice Chair, Rep. Lyla Berg.

From left to right: Rep. Lyla Berg, Pascale Pinner, Cori Lei Chong, David Arakaki, Shari Takahashi, Suzanne Commings, and Kevin Mitsunaga.

Here are their districts and schools:

• Pascale Pinner, Hawaii State Teacher of the Year, Hilo Intermediate
  
• Cori Lei Chong, Honolulu District, Kaewai Elementary


• David Arakaki, Central District, Moanalua Middle School


• Shari Takahashi, Leeward District, Nanikapono Elementary


• Suzanne Cummings, Windward District, Kailua High School


• Kevin Mitsunaga, Kauai District, Kamakahelei Middle School


• Leighton Nakamoto, Maui District, Kalama Intermediate (unable to attend)

House Committee on Education discusses an early learning system with Hawaii educators

Photo: Representatives end their early education tour in the cafeteria of Jefferson Elementary School. In photo left to right: Rep. Roy Takumi, Principal Vivian S.M. Hee, Rep. Tom Brower, Rep. Lyla Berg.

Rep. Roy Takumi (D-36), Rep. Lyla Berg (D-25) and Rep. Tom Brower (D-23), members of the House Committee on Education, took a tour of Jefferson Elementary School's Pre-Plus program on Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. They discussed some of the main goals and details of a new proposed bill with school educators and administration. The bill, HB2973, would establish an early learning system and a Keiki First Steps Program in Hawaii.

Here are some of my notes:

-Legislators and administration share four main goals: 1.) to expand on such early education programs such as Pre-Plus & Headstart by targeting all disadvantaged three-and four-year-olds. 2.) to develop quality programs that are safe, healthy and prepare three-and four-year-olds for academics. 3.) to have three- and four-year-olds enroll into early education programs that is located at their future elementary school. 4.) to enroll all three- and four-year-olds in Hawaii into early education programs.

Photo: Rep. Berg joins early education students and teaching assistants in an activity before lunch.

-There are currently 17 Pre-Plus programs in Hawaii (2 on the Big Island, 1 on Kauai, and 1 on Maui, 13 on Oahu.)

-Headstart is federally funded and charges $350.00 per child. Parents can apply for state subsidies. Most of the children at Jefferson qualify for subsidies.

-Legislators, educators and school administration shared their concern for a tracking system. Rep. Takumi suggested giving each child a number at the start of pre-education programs in order to track a student's success. However, this would involve a great deal of planning and would call for private and public departments working together.

-Principal Vivian S.M. Hee discussed the implementation of "Junior Kindergarten." She said that it didn't make any difference or change the quality of learning for her students because placement is only based on age. If a child is not five years old by the debut of the school year, they are automatically placed in Junior-K, no exceptions. Some parents weren't satisfied with the program, and it just seemed like a nicer and convenient way to label kids who needed more help, according to Principal Hee. Currently, Junior-K students are mixed with Kindergarten students.

Photo: Rep. Takumi talks with early education teacher Penny Shiira about the Jefferson School early education program and the future of early childhood education in Hawaii.

-In order to have quality early education programs, schools like Jefferson Elementary need more space (facilities, buildings) and bodies (positions, teachers.)

-Children in the early education classes surprised Legislators when two little girls took the initiative to greet them at the door with a smile, hello and a handshake.

-Rep. Berg commented on a proposed bill to build a comprehensive early learning system in Hawaii, "If you don't start now, when?"

House to tour preschool, announce details of Keiki First Steps Program

The House Committee on Education will announce tomorrow the details of new legislation to launch a state early childhood education initiative called "Keiki First Steps" during a tour of Jefferson Elementary School's Pre-Plus program in Waikiki.

In 2005, Jefferson School was the state's 10th Pre-Plus program, which provides preschool education for low-income keiki, to launch in Hawaii. The state provides buildings rent-free to licensed and accredited private preschool operators.

The bill would expand early childhood education programs and make it available to all of Hawaii's keiki.

HB2973 - Creates the Early Learning Council to govern the state's early learning system.
Establishes an early learning system. Establishes the Keiki First Steps Program.