STATE OF HAWAII
BOARD OF EDUCATION
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE
MINUTES
Queen Liliuokalani Building
1390 Miller Street, Room 404
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
PRESENT:
Wesley Lo, Chairperson
Elynne Chung
Mary Hattori
Kahele Dukelow, Ex Officio
EXCUSED:
Kaimana Barcarse, Vice Chairperson
Makana McClellan
ALSO PRESENT:
Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, Deputy Superintendent of Strategy, Department of Education
Sean Bacon, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Talent Management, Department of Education
Wimmie Wong Lui, 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 1:30 p.m.
II. Approval of meeting minutes of August 15, 2024, and October 22, 2024, Human Resources Committee meetings
ACTION: Approve the meeting minutes of August 15, 2024, and October 22, 2024, Human Resources Committee meetings. (Hattori/Chung). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.
III. Amendments to superintendent’s employment contract relating to salary, benefits, and duration
Committee Chairperson Lo stated that the Board of Education (Board) entered into an employment contract with Superintendent Keith Hayashi that commenced on July 1, 2022. The employment contract has not since been revised. He recommended that the Committee approve amendments to the Superintendent’s employment contract as follows: (1) To adjust his annual salary by 4%, in alignment with that of the subordinate superintendents, effective as of July 1, 2024; (2) To provide for the same benefits conferred to other Executive Branch directors each time they are adjusted, including the automobile allowance, effective as of July 1, 2024; and (3) Extend the contract term to end on December 31, 2025, to allow for the review of school year-end results before conducting Superintendent’s self-assessment and evaluation for the 2024-2025 school year, pursuant to the timeline approved by the Board at its October 31, 2024, general business meeting.
Committee Chairperson Lo called for public testimony.
Julie Reyes Oda, former teacher at Nanakuli High and Intermediate and current Representative of Ewa Beach, testified in opposition to making any amendments to Hayashi’s contract except for the extension. She expressed concern with the recommendation to amend the contract to allow for salary increases when the budget should be student focused.
Board Member Dukelow, Ex Officio, stated that the Board needs to develop a process to discuss salary adjustment methodologies together since these items could be controversial. She stated that the justifications should be consistent and when detailing comparisons more details are needed.
Board Chairperson Lo acknowledged that the process has been a struggle to get on a cycle and the timing is not aligned. He shared that in regards to the comparison information the Board should look at other government official’s compensation and noted that Hayashi has not received an equity raise.
ACTION: Approve the First Amendment of the July 26, 2022, Employment Contract between Keith Hayashi and State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education, attached as Exhibit B to Human Resources Committee Chairperson Wesley Lo’s memorandum dated November 13, 2024, and authorize the Board chairperson to execute the amendment on behalf of the Board, subject to approval as to form by the Board’s attorney. (Chung/Hattori). The motion carried unanimously with all members present voting aye.
IV. Adjournment
Committee Chairperson Lo adjourned the meeting at 1:48 p.m.
For the written testimony list see the following link:
2024-11-13 HR Testimony