STATE OF HAWAII
BOARD OF EDUCATION
HUMAN RESOURCES MEETING

MINUTES

Queen Liliuokalani Building
1390 Miller Street, Room 404
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Thursday, May 4, 2023

PRESENT:
Kaimana Barcarse, Chairperson
Bill Arakaki
Ken Kuraya
Kili Namauʻu
Bruce Voss

EXCUSED:
Shanty Asher, Vice Chairperson
Lynn Fallin

ALSO PRESENT:
Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, Department of Education
Sean Bacon, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Talent Management, Department of Education
Michael Otsuji, candidate for Assistant Superintendent, Office of Information Technology Services, Department of Education
Curt Otaguro, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Department of Education
Alison Kunishige, Executive Director
Kenyon Tam, Board Analyst
Regina Pascua, Executive Secretary
Lady Garrett, Secretary


I. Call to Order

Committee Chairperson Kaimana Barcarse called the Human Resources Committee (“Committee”) Meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Committee Chairperson Barcarse and Committee Members Bill Arakaki, Ken Kuraya, Kili Namauʻu, and Bruce Voss were present.


II. Public testimony on Human Resources Committee (“Committee”) agenda items

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for public testimony. No one testified at this time.

Board members received written testimony before the meeting. (A listing of the people who submitted written testimony before the meeting is included at the end of these minutes.)


III. Approval of Meeting Minutes of March 23, 2023

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked Committee members to review the Committee’s March 23, 2023 meeting minutes.

Committee Member Voss moved to approve the Committee’s March 23, 2023 meeting minutes. Committee Member Kuraya seconded.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if there were any objections to the motion. No Committee member raised objections, and the motion carried through unanimous consent from all members present (Committee Members Arakaki, Kuraya, Namauʻu, and Voss).

ACTION: Motion to approve the Human Resources Committee March 23, 2023 meeting minutes (Voss/Kuraya). The motion carried through unanimous consent from all members present.


IV. Public testimony on Committee agenda items

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for public testimony.

Susan Pcola-Davis, PTSA, testified on agenda item V.B, entitled “Committee Action on recommendations concerning appointment of Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Information Technology Services.” She emphasized that the Department already has an interim Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Information and Technology Services (“OITS”) who has been serving in an acting capacity since August 2021. Pcola-Davis noted that there would be a huge learning curve for the recommended candidate for the Assistant Superintendent of OITS since not all systems are alike and shared that based on the resume provided the candidate has crossed over three different positions at the same time.


V. Recommendation for Action

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if any Committee members would like to recuse themselves from the discussion and vote on this agenda item. Committee Member Voss recused himself.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called on Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, and Sean Bacon, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Talent Management, to present the Department’s recommendations concerning the Bargaining Unit 5 tentative agreement with the Hawaii State Teachers Association (“HSTA”) for the contract period of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2027

Hayashi requested the Board’s approval of the HSTA tentative agreement starting July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2027. He stated that the Department provided three updates to the Board and noted that HSTA members ratified the agreement on April 12, 2023
Hayashi stated that 21 hours of professional development was moved from a memorandum of understanding into the contract itself and that the contract now includes an additional classification for teachers. He highlighted a number of initiatives, including a pilot projects for Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) and various workgroups to improve student’s experiences.

Committee Member Kuraya moved to (1) approve the tentative Bargaining Unit 5 successor agreement, including the attached memoranda of understanding, for the contract period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027, as attached to Hayashi’s memorandum dated May 4, 2023, and (2) authorize Board Chairperson Voss to execute the final Bargaining Unit 5 successor agreement, provided that it is substantively the same as the tentative agreement. Committee Member Arakaki seconded.

Committee Member Arakaki expressed appreciation for the negotiations team and shared that the negotiations process was a growing experience for him. He shared that as a system moving forward with the new strategic plan, the collective bargaining agreement is a step forward. Committee Member Arakaki expressed support and recommended approval of the motion.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked for clarification about a statement in the personnel implications section and how it related to a statement in the educational implications section. He stated that the personnel implications section of the recommendation memorandum provided, “[t]his contract would affect approximately 13,000 Department BU5 employees and would increase the salary for a newly entry-level teacher with no experience or traditional credentials to approximately $50,000,” but that in the educational implication section of the recommendation memorandum provided, “[t]he new agreement promotes the recruitment and retention of Career and Technical Education (“CTE”) and Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) teachers by increasing the starting salary with industry experience or Hawaiian language proficiency who hold a Hawaii Teacher Standards Board issued permit to approximately $50,000.” He asked whether teachers with Hawaiian language proficiency credentials would be paid the same as newly hired teachers. Bacon replied that teachers need to hold a permit or license to get this salary and noted that the entry level would be considered as an instructor level with a starting salary of $50,000. Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if both CTE and Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) teachers' starting salaries would be $50,000. Hayashi replied that the starting salary for individuals with CTE or Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) is $50,000, and clarified that the statement in the personnel implications section is correct but that the section on education implications should also state that CTE and Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) teachers with the required teaching credentials would start above the $50,000 starting salary.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse stated that credentialed and licensed for CTE and Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian Immersion) could refer to teachers who received a permit but are not licensed. Bacon stated that teachers with industry experience and fluency in Hawaiian language who have not gone through a program and would start teaching with a permit with a starting salary of $50,000.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for a roll call vote on the motion. The motion carried with Committee Members Arakaki, Kuraya, and Namau‘u voting aye and Committee Member Voss abstaining.

ACTION: Motion to (1) approve the tentative Bargaining Unit 5 successor agreement, including the attached memoranda of understanding, for the contract period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027, as attached to Hayashi’s memorandum dated May 4, 2023, and (2) authorize Board Chairperson Voss to execute the final Bargaining Unit 5 successor agreement, provided that it is substantively the same as the tentative agreement (Kuraya/Arakaki). The motion carried with three members voting aye and one abstention.


Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if any Committee members wanted to recuse themselves from the discussion and vote on this agenda item. Committee Member Kuraya recused himself.

Committee Member Kuraya left the meeting at 11:21 a.m.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called on Hayashi to present the Department’s recommendation concerning the appointment of an assistant superintendent of the OITS.

Hayashi outlined the appointment recommendation and requested the approval of Michael Otsuji as the assistant superintendent of OITS and Chief Information Officer (“CIO”). He expressed appreciation to Christine Shaw for serving as the interim assistant superintendent of OITS and explained that Shaw wanted to return to her permanent position. Hayashi stated that Otsuji has over 40 years of experience and OITS is responsible for providing strategic oversight to execute the strategic priorities and initiative to assure systems in all levels, developing standards. He stated that the CIO would oversee OITS and measure staff performance to establish metrics and outcomes for 170 staff. Hayashi recommended that the Board approve Otsuji’s appointment.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked for confirmation that the terms CIO and assistant superintendent of the OITS reference the same position. Hayashi confirmed.

Committee Member Voss moved to approve the appointment of Michael Otsuji as the assistant superintendent of OITS with an entry salary of $170,000, effective on or after May 4, 2023. Committee Member Namau‘u seconded.

Committee Member Voss expressed appreciation to Shaw for her work and leadership in one of the most challenging positions in the Department. He noted that Otsuji proved that a philosophy major can get a real job. Otsuji stated that one of his areas of study is logic, which fits well into technology and design.

Committee Member Voss stated that Otsuji's resume lists extensive work on Office365 and asked what he thought about the Department using Google Suite. Otsuji stated that systems need to meet business needs with the most cost effective solutions.

Committee Member Voss asked what Otsuji anticipates to be the biggest challenge for the Department. Otsuji stated that the biggest issue is getting people to communicate with one another and providing unified solutions.

Committee Member Namau‘u asked Hayashi to explain the process he uses to find individuals for leadership positions and describe what he did to find and select Otsuji. Hayashi replied that he worked with Curt Otaguro, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, to find candidates for this position and explained that he looked for someone who has key in-depth knowledge of systems, who shares the Department’s values, and who has people skills. He stated that the Department contacted several individuals who expressed support for Otsuji and stated that he would be an asset to the Department.

Committee Member Namau‘u asked for an explanation of how the Department recruits individuals for leadership positions. Otaguro stated that in his prior experience technology is defined as people, process, and technology. He stated that when looking for a leader he contemplated posting the position and looking for individuals in Hawaii who have varied experiences and could hit the ground running. Otaguro shared that he wanted the individual to be able to assess and make recommendations regarding the integration of systems that so that need to be replaced right now. He also stated that it was important that the candidate have in-house experience so they could provide the necessary information quickly.

Committee Member Namau‘u stated that one of the Department’s actions for Desired Outcome 3.2.3 is the development of a technology plan, which is going to be the primary responsibility of the OITS AS. She asked whether Otsuji is the proper candidate to fulfill this action item. Otaguro expressed strong support for Otsuji and noted that more than one individual would need to assess technology for the Department. He noted that Otsuji gets things done, collaborates, and has the expertise to complete this work.

Hayashi expressed confidence in Otsuji and noted that he demonstrates the characteristics of a leader who wants to share the truth about where the Department is and the steps necessary to move forward.

Committee Member Namau‘u expressed appreciation for the comments. She asked Otsuji to share some of his management experiences. Otsuji replied that most of his career has been in the private sector and that he was asked by former Governor David Ige to monitor operations to migrate to Microsoft Office 365. He shared results from a self-assessment which led his team to realize that less than 20 employees out of 170 had actual experience in modern technology so the most important thing to address was workforce development. He shared that his proudest accomplishment is not the system being built, but how some individuals with limited experience were eventually offered to work with tech organizations like Adobe and Google. He expressed appreciation that under his guidance individuals with limited experience obtained national level skills.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse asked if others were approached or considered for this position. Otaguro replied that two other candidates were considered but for various reasons it did not work out for those individuals.

Committee Member Arakaki asked Otsuji to share his background and connections to Hawaii since education is all about people and relationships. Otsuji replied that he was raised in Hawaii, attended Iolani School, and that he had dreams of being a martial artist. He shared about his education history and how he taught computer science for Waimanalo Intermediate School as part of a pilot project.

Committee Member Arakaki asked about his connections to community and business partners. Otsuji replied that one issue when starting the modernization project was limited resources for technology, so partners are essential. He noted that a common misconception is that there is no talent in Hawaii, so work was done with local companies to develop relationships. Otsuji noted that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit various agencies in partnership with private companies helped stabilize the system.

Committee Chairperson Barcarse called for a roll call vote on the motion. The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye (Committee Members Arakaki, Namauʻu, and Voss).

ACTION: Motion to approve the appointment of Michael Otsuji as the assistant superintendent of OITS with an entry salary of $170,000, effective on or after May 4, 2023 (Voss/Namau‘u). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.

Otsuji expressed appreciation for the opportunity and looks forward to working with the Department.

VI. Adjournment

Committee Chairperson Barcarse adjourned the meeting at 11:55 a.m.

List of the people who submitted written testimony before the meeting

NAME
Organization
Agenda Item
Susan Pcola-DavisV.B. Committee action on recommendations concerning appointment of Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Information Technology Services