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Their shrill hysterics make me wonder, what are they afraid of? Their claims are exaggerated and flawed — they have their facts wrong and they misrepresent the amendment, the Legislature and even you — and they are spending a fortune in efforts to scare us.

They don’t want us to look at the facts, they don’t want us to step into our power as voters, and they certainly don’t want us to peek behind the curtain to see who is pulling the strings of the Affordable Hawaii Coalition.

They just want to frighten us.

Clearly, our fear serves their interests, and their interests probably don’t align with ours. When the  (known as the constitutional amendment, or ConAm) passes and the Legislature passes the enabling legislation they’ve been discussing for more than two years, who will feel a pinch?

• Anyone who owns a single-family home worth over $1 million that they don’t live in.
• Anyone whose profits depend on people owning single-family homes worth $1 million that they don’t live in.
• Politicians whose donors profit from people owning high-end properties that they don’t live in.

Chicken Little screeches that the ConAm isn’t specific enough and the Legislature can’t be trusted. But a constitutional amendment is general by design because the details need to adapt to changing times.

Furthermore, the Legislature is our Legislature, and we have the right and duty to watch them, to communicate with them, to hold them accountable for their actions, and to expose their actions to the broader public. The Hawaii State Teachers Association, together with other organizations, is committed to making sure that our Legislature does what is right, and welcomes the active participation of others.

Hawaii public education is in crisis now, and the problem will not go away if we defer action.

For perspective, the proposed surcharge is an additional 0.7 percent on the assessed value, and the current intent is that owner-occupied homes at any assessed value would be exempt. Those who are concerned about how this proposed surcharge is implemented have every right to talk to legislators about their concerns, and sometimes just a few constituent phone calls are enough to change a legislator’s mind. But the status quo hurts Hawaii schoolchildren and ultimately hurts us all.

In public schools throughout the state, meanwhile, the ceiling literally is falling. Public schools lack essential resources including (but not limited to):

• enough teachers to teach all enrolled students;
• basic necessities like libraries and librarians at all schools;
• resources to provide necessary support for students with special needs at all schools;
• Hawaiian language and cultural education;
• arts and vocational education; and
• social and emotional learning.

Kids in public schools right now lack one (or many) of the above. Who is okay with that? Who doesn’t see this as urgent? Who is willing to kick this can down the road?

Hawaii public education is in crisis now, and the problem will not go away if we defer action.

The quality of public schools directly affects our communities, our local and state economies, and the opportunities available to our most vulnerable young people.

Let’s own our responsibility, our kuleana to our keiki and our shared future — turn over your ballot and vote “Yes” on the Amendment for Keiki and Our Schools!

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