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The Hawaii Department of Education announced today that it’s created a 26-member roundtable that’s designed to get feedback from educators, set priorities and improve how the school district is run.

“The Roundtable is designed to engage with principals directly to improve communication, garner feedback, develop collaborative solutions to critical challenges, and identify individuals for future complex area, state and national leadership positions and opportunities,” a DOE press release says.

The announcement comes in the wake of a headline-making lobbying effort by a group of educators, most of them retired principals, to gut the DOE’s leadership and reform the department.

The campaign, spearheaded by retired Moanalua High School principal Darrel Galera, arose from a series of surveys whose results showed that most of the state’s school leaders feel overwhelmed by DOE initiatives such as the new teacher evaluation system. The department’s top-down administrative structure, Galera said, cripples them from bringing about change and perpetuates a culture of fear for speaking out.

Galera appeared at the Board of Education’s regularly scheduled meeting last Tuesday to share his concerns and demand that members and other DOE officials respond to the concerns. Speaking on behalf of all principals, Galera also asked the board to wait before renewing Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi’s contract — the renewal was up for a vote that day — but after a long closed-door executive session board members decided to put her on the job for another three years. They did so, however, on the condition that Matayoshi respond to the concerns in a report.

In announcing the so-called Deputy Superintendent’s Principal Roundtable, the department didn’t acknowledge last week’s drama.

But the stated purpose of the group, which according to the press release was first proposed in April, seems to respond directly to the controversy.

The group will be composed of 26 people, including all members of the Hawaii Government Employees Association Unit 6 Board of Directors and 14 sitting principals from the four major islands, and led by Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe. Members were selected from a list of nearly 40 nominations.

“As a former principal who knows firsthand about the challenges our principals face each day, we are committed to a thoughtful process of selecting school leaders for this Roundtable,” Nozoe said in a statement. “We value their feedback and their dedication to their schools, communities as we continue to transform public education.”

Randy Perreira, executive director of the HGEA, a union that includes principals, said: “We are encouraged by this additional opportunity for our principals to provide feedback from the field. With this critical information, we hope to create solutions that will transition into meaningful change to positively impact the everyday work of the principals and vice principals. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to support these efforts.”

Members:

1. Lorelei Aiwohi, Kalakaua Middle School (Honolulu District, Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani)
2. Wade Araki, Kaimuki High (Honolulu District, Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt)
3. Duwayne Abe, Salt Lake Elementary (Central District, Aiea-Moanalua-Radford)
4. Bert Carter, Ka‘ewai Elementary (Honolulu District, Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani)*
5. John Costales, Kalama Intermediate (Maui District, Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui)*
6. Patricia Dang, Kapalama Elementary (Honolulu District, Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani)*
7. Gary Davidson, Molokai Middle School (Maui District, Hana-Lahainaluna-Lanai-Molokai)
8. Chad Farias, Kea‘au Elementary (Hawaii District, Kau-Keaau-Pahoa)*
9. Shelley Ferrara, Mauka Lani Elementary (Leeward District, Campbell-Kapolei)
10. Daniel Hamada, Kapaa High (Kauai)
11. Debra Hatada, Ka‘imiloa Elementary (Leeward District, Campbell-Kapolei)*
12. Disa Hauge, Waianae High School (Leeward District, Nanakuli-Waianae)
13. Keith Hayashi, Waipahu High (Leeward District, Pearl City-Waipahu)
14. Francine Honda, Kailua High School (Windward District, Kailua-Kalaheo)*
15. Kelcy Koga, Waiakea High School (Hawaii District, Hilo-Waiakea)*
16. Naomi Matsuzaki, Kahalu‘u Elementary (Windward District, Castle-Kahuku)*
17. Wilfred Murakami, Kealakehe High (West Hawaii)
18. Fred Murphy, Mililani High School (Central District, Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua
19. Deborah Nekomoto, Kapunahala Elementary (Windward District, Castle-Kahuku)
20. Irene Puuohau, Hawaii Government Employees Association
21. Fred Rose, Eleele Elementary (Kauai)*
22. Janette Snelling, Kohala High School (West Hawaii)
23. James Sunday, Radford High School (Central District, Aiea-Moanalua-Radford)*
24. Brett Tanaka, Office of Curriculum Instruction, Student Support*
25. David Tanuvasa, (Vice Principal) Waipahu High School (Leeward District, Pearl City-Waipahu)*
26. Keoni Wilhelm, Mokapu Elementary (Windward District, Kailua-Kalaheo)

* Member of HGEA Unit 6 Board of Directors