STATE OF HAWAII
BOARD OF EDUCATION
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE
MINUTES
Queen Liliuokalani Building
1390 Miller Street, Room 404
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Thursday, January 16, 2025
PRESENT:
Wesley Lo, Chairperson
Kaimana Barcarse, Vice Chairperson
Elynne Chung
Mary Hattori
Bill Arakaki, Ex Officio
Kahele Dukelow, Ex Officio
Roy Takumi, Ex Officio
EXCUSED:
Makana McClellan
ALSO PRESENT:
Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, Department of Education
Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, Deputy Superintendent of Strategy, Department of Education
Sean Bacon, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Talent Management, Department of Education
Ethan Yang, Board Student Representative
Capsun Poe, Board Executive Director
Wimmie Wong Lui, Board Analyst
Keli Houston, Board Analyst
Lady Garrett, Secretary
I. Call to Order
Committee Chairperson Wesley Lo called the Board of Education (“Board”) Human Resources Committee meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.
II. Approval of meeting minutes of February 8, 2024; and December 12, 2024, Human Resources Committee meeting
ACTION: Approve the February 8, 2024; and December 12, 2024, meeting minutes of Human Resources Committee meetings. (Barcarse/Chung). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.
Committee Chairperson Lo stated that regarding the Committee meeting minutes of February 8, 2024, multiple efforts were made to obtain a translation for testimony to no avail. Therefore, the Committee will be putting forth these minutes for approval. If anyone is willing to serve as a translator, please contact the Board office at boe.hawaii@boe.hawaii.gov. Committee Vice Chairperson Barcarse expressed support and reminded the Committee that ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i is recognized as an official language in the State of Hawai’i.
III. Department of Education proposal to revise Board Policy 500-2 (Plan of Organization)
Committee Chairperson Lo called on Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, to provide the proposal to revise Board Policy 500-2 (Plan of Organization). Hayashi invited Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, Deputy Superintendent of Strategy and Sean Bacon, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Talent Management to provide the proposal to revise Board Policy 500-2.
Bacon explained that the plan of organization is produced annually and includes information for each state office including the functional statements for each branch or section in the organization. The plan of organization only provides information on each state office; it does not include the positions at the school level since principals are allowed the flexibility based on student needs.
Oyadomari-Chun clarified that the current Board policy requires approval by the Board in addition to the union consultation process which adds a significant amount of time for changes to be made; therefore, resulting in instances when the document is out of sync. The Department is in the process of organizational alignment relating to the proposed changes to the reporting structure for the deputy superintendents and assistant superintendents. The Department is proposing a change as reflected in Attachment B of the memorandum which states that annually the Department will provide the information to the Board and the proposal delegate’s changes to the superintendent as part of management responsibilities. The proposal will require Board approval for establishing any new offices.
Committee Chairperson Lo called for public testimony.
Susan Pcola-Davis, member of the public, testified that if there will be constant changes to the plan of organization and suggested that the change document be color coded so that the Board can keep track of progress.
Cynthia Bartlett, member of the public, testified as a representative for Moms for Liberty and expressed concern that the organization is centralized.
Committee Vice Chairperson Barcarse stated that the executive summary outlines that major changes will be brought to the Board for approval and asked what major changes that will require Board action. Oyadomari-Chun replied that at this time Board approval will be needed for the addition or removal of any offices.
Committee Chairperson Lo stated that the Board should set clear guidelines and goals which creates an interactive process. He expressed strongly that it would behoove the Department to provide better context moving forward on changes as things continue.
Committee Member Hattori stated that relating to earlier testimony she would like to emphasize that Hawaii is not the only place in America with a single school district. She asserted that every member is committed to being visionary with the best interests for all of the students in Hawaii.
Committee Chairperson Lo stated that the process of keeping track of the plan of organization is important. Bacon stated that based on the Governors directive a snapshot is taken every June 30, and one person is in charge of the chart including information provided to the unions with a change document.
IV. State Librarian evaluation process for the 2024-2025 fiscal year
Committee Chairperson Lo proposed that the process to evaluate the State Librarian for the 2024-2025 fiscal year include: a single end-of-year evaluation of the State Librarian’s: fulfillment of duties and responsibilities as per her position description; and progress toward a set of metrics, to be known as targeted goals; discussion of particular topics during the evaluation, including consideration for any extenuating circumstances that may arise during the fiscal year and that may impact the State Librarian’s performance; a rating scale; and timeline. The intent of the targeted goals is to ensure the State Librarian has clear direction and goals for making progress on the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System’s Strategic Framework and Focus Areas, and to ensure alignment between the Board and State Librarian.
Committee Chairperson Lo called on Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian to share about the evaluation process for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Aldrich expressed appreciation for the opportunity to share about the important projects in our community especially relating to the request for longer hours. She stated that developing plans for the next steps is important.
Committee Chairperson Lo stated that the libraries are a special place in our communities and expressed appreciation for all the work she does.
ACTION: Approve the process for the State Librarian for the 2024-2025 fiscal year as explained in Human Resources Committee Chairperson Wesley Lo’s memorandum dated January 16, 2025. (Barcarse/Chung). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.
V. Adjournment
Committee Chairperson Lo adjourned the meeting at 10:32 a.m.
For the written testimony list see the following link: 2025-01-16_HR_testimony-2025-01-17.pdf