A closed-door vote by the Hawaii Board of Education last month to extend the school superintendent鈥檚 contract by a year is expected to be redone in an open session when the board convenes next week.

The decision to revote in a public meeting was made to settle any questions about whether the board had violated聽 prohibiting any action in executive session that constitutes a decision, order or appointment, chairwoman Catherine Payne said Thursday.

鈥淲hat we don鈥檛 want is anything hanging out there,鈥� she told Civil Beat.

In a Dec. 21 special meeting, the nine-member board, which is in charge of approving Department of Education policy and selecting and evaluating the superintendent, voted to extend Superintendent Christina Kishimoto鈥檚 three-year contract by one year, so it would expire July 31, 2021.

The board did so with the understanding that permits such in executive session, Payne said. Closed-door sessions were how previous boards have handled such matters since the board following approval of a constitutional amendment in 2010.

Following that switch, a statute prohibiting contract-related votes from taking place in executive session was repealed. Unbeknownst to the board, the Hawaii administrative rule adopted under the statute may have remained in effect, Payne said.

鈥淲e need to take a look at this whole issue,鈥� said Payne. 鈥淲e still don鈥檛 know whether the administrative rule is in effect.鈥�

While there鈥檚 conflicting opinions on whether the board can decide such matters out of public view, state leaders, including the governor, emphasized their commitment to ensuring such personnel decisions are made openly in the future.

鈥淚 always stressed with the board that open, transparent government is really important,鈥� Gov. David Ige told Civil Beat on Thursday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to ensure that the general public has confidence those citizens are donating their time and being part of boards that help our communities work better.鈥�

are appointed by the governor and serve three-year terms on a volunteer basis.

The vote redo is scheduled for Thursday. The public will have a chance to weigh in on the one-year contract extension and perhaps get to hear what the board thinks, too.

The Dec. 21 vote to extend Kishimoto’s contract by a year was not unanimous, and took place after about a two-and-a-half-hour meeting that also covered the school chief’s mid-year evaluation. It takes a simple majority for an action to be approved.

For now, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the board鈥檚 intent (to extend the contract),鈥� Payne said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 not in effect.鈥�