DOE Excess Spending On Supervisors Is A Myth

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Christina Kishimoto, Hawaii Department of Education Superintendent says that saving money from the DOE’s 2 billion dollar yearly budget by cutting supervisory positions is a myth.

I agree, but I can’t decide which myth. Is it more like Sisyphus, where taxpayers constantly roll their money up a mountain for better education, only to find it never gets there? Or perhaps we taxpayers are Phineus, stranded on a remote island, then, when our paycheck is set before us at the end of a long work week, it’s nearly picked clean by the Harpies of DOE, IRS, State, Excise, County...

The State Department of Education receives 2 billion dollars in state and federal funds each year. DOE Superintendent, Christina Kishimoto, says the perception that money can be saved by cutting administrative positions and overhead is just not true.

“That is an ongoing myth. Ninety-three percent of our state funds are in schools, in the classrooms. Ninety-three percent of the state’s budget is in schools, is in schools, in classrooms. Either directly in the hands of principals or in shared services like busing and food.
http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/mo...-education

[kalakoa]

saving money from the DOE’s 2 billion dollar yearly budget by cutting supervisory positions is a myth

Let's apply the scientific method: cut 10% of the administration and see if any "savings" are passed along to teacher salaries.

[EightFingers]

Is the DOE budget available to the public?

[Rob Tucker]

Christina Kishimoto's statement could be considered self serving too. She is top of the management chain. The myth I am most aware of is that there are more people in management than there are teachers.

[Chunkster]

"Either directly in the hands of principals . . ."

Funny she mentioned principals. Not long ago there was a principal so incompetent at Keaau High that they couldn't even maintain a semblance of order, even with cops on campus virtually full time. Everyone from parents to teachers to regional administrators agreed that the person was doing a piss poor job. How did the state administration that Kishimoto defends handle the problem? The promoted the individual in question to a higher position in the administration.

Also, I think someone is feeling the sting of the aborted constitutional amendment that would have allowed the state to tax properties. Despite the fact that the measure was voided in advance by the State Supreme Court, 86% of the participating voters voted anyway, and 59% of them voted no.

[ElysianWort]

Not long ago there was a principal so incompetent at Keaau High that they couldn't even maintain a semblance of order, even with cops on campus virtually full time.

I believe this above statement is true but it happened under extraordinary circumstances and this factor should be considered:

A couple years ago when the lava was threatening Pahoa town, the schools there had to be closed. All of the Pahoa high school students had to be crammed into the Keaau High school in a rush.

Think about that. I bet a movie could be made about that instance.
It's no wonder the cops were there all the time. The Pahoa High students have a reputation for being rough on their own campus, can you imagine all these young alpha male types having to re-establish their dominance in a new territory? Yes, ape-like and ridiculous but true.

[Chunkster]

EW, this was years before the lava threatened Pahoa.

[My 2 cents]

Seems like "not long ago" could be better defined.

[Chunkster]

When you're my age, "not long ago" can indeed be in need of definition. I am talking about the period of 2006-2010. Here's a report from 2009 about 17 arrests in one day:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...02027.html

I think it is a fairly safe assumption that the way the DOE handles poorly performing administrators hasn't substantially changed since then.

[My 2 cents]

I must be of a similar age because I do the same thing. Thanks for clarifying. I agree that rewarding poor performance with promotions is backwards, to say the least. And it seems to be a common practice.