STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1264

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 652, 655, 656, 658

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 652, 655, 656, and 658, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

State of Hawai'i Board of Education

 

G.M. No. 652

KEITH AMEMIYA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012;

 

G.M. No. 655

CHARLENE CUARESMA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2013;

 

G.M. No. 656

CHERYL KA'UHANE LUPENUI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012; and

 

G.M. No. 658

NANCY JO-YAMAKAWA BUDD,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Keith Amemiya, Charlene Cuaresma, Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui, and Nancy Jo-Yamakawa Budd, to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the State of Hawai‘i Board of Education.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Keith Amemiya from the Governor, Chair of the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents, President of the University of Hawai‘i System, Kaneohe Ranch, Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, Hui for Excellence in Education, Hawaii Education Matters, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii School Bus Association, and ten individuals.

 

     Mr. Amemiya received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  He received a Juris Doctorate degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.

 

     Since March 2010, Mr. Amemiya has served as the Executive Administrator and Secretary to the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii.  Prior to his service with the Board of Regents, Mr. Amemiya spent nearly twelve years as the Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA). 

Mr. Amemiya also worked previously as an attorney with the law firms of Paul, Johnson, Park & Niles, and Bays, Deaver, Hiatt, Kawachika & Lezak.  As an attorney, Mr. Amemiya specialized in civil litigation, arbitration related to commercial transactions, construction, real estate, wrongful termination, and personal injury. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya is extensively involved with for-profit and non‑profit boards.  Specifically, Mr. Amemiya serves on the Board of Directors of The Learning Coalition, Shane Victorino Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, and Susannah Wesley Community Center.  He is also a member of the Department of Education's Advisory Commission on Gender Equity in Athletics and the City and County of Honolulu's Sports Commission. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya testified that his work as the Executive Director of HHSAA enabled him to work closely with the Department of Education, including the Superintendent of Education, principals, teachers, coaches, and students. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya's short-term goal as a Board of Education member is to examine the Board's current policies and procedures.  Mr. Amemiya expressed that the Board's role is to make educational policies and support the Superintendent of Education's execution of those policies.  He also noted that the Board of Education must focus on helping the Superintendent obtain the resources necessary to allow the Department of Education to achieve a superior benchmark in public education. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya encourages increased cooperation between the Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii.  He sees the goal of the Board of Education and the Board of Regents as one and the same: to create a highly educated and skilled workforce for Hawaii.  He is confident that the two entities can work in sync and complement each other in working to meet that shared goal. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya believes that public-private partnerships can be a means of addressing the fiscal challenges facing the Department of Education.  As Executive Director of HHSAA, Mr. Amemiya headed the Save our Sports Campaign which raised more than $1,300,000 in outside funding for public school athletic programs in light of state budget cuts.  Mr. Amemiya expressed to your Committee that it is necessary for the Board of Education to examine all possible sources of funding, including federal funds, private grants, and funding from private foundations. 

 

     Mr. Amemiya's professional and personal experiences have given him a deep appreciation for Hawaii's public school system and an understanding of the challenges and obstacles it faces.  His leadership experience will serve him well as a member of the Board of Education.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Charlene Cuaresma from the Governor; Kaneohe Ranch; National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region 12; Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights; UNITE HERE Local 5; The Mestizo Association; ILWU Local 142; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Filipino American Citizens League; Congress of Visayan Organizations; University of Hawaii School of Public Health Alumni Association; Oahu Filipino Community Council; Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc.; Guevarra Appraisal Services LLC; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Education Matters; Hawaii School Bus Association; and forty-one individuals.

 

     Ms. Cuaresma received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She currently serves as the Associate Director of the Graduate Professional Access Program at the University of Hawaii.  She serves underrepresented students by linking them to faculty mentors and providing support services to ensure completion of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.  Ms. Cuaresma also serves as the Community Director for the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training.

 

     Ms. Cuaresma is active in a number of community organizations.  She has volunteered her time with the Domestic Violence Action Center Pilipina Rural Project Advisory Council, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, American Red Cross, and Organ Donor Center of Hawai‘i.  Ms. Cuaresma is also a recipient of the 2011 Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights Martin Luther King, Jr. Award based on her long track record of community service and strident support of equality and social justice. 

 

     Ms. Cuaresma testified that she believes the role of the Board of Education is to set clear educational policies and to hold the Superintendent of Education accountable for implementation of those policies.  She also expressed to your Committee that it is important for the Board to support efforts by the Department of Education to foster relationships with parents, civic groups, community-based organizations, and socially responsible corporations to build greater capacity at all public schools.  Ms. Cuaresma strongly believes that partnerships between schools and their communities are critical to making college completion a reality for more of Hawaii's students. 

 

     Ms. Cuaresma also supports a policy audit of the Board of Education.  She expressed to your Committee that it is important for the Board to look at which policies are working to advance student achievement and which policies are simply not working.

 

     Ms. Cuaresma's nomination to the Board of Education adds a critical link to Hawaii's underrepresented and underserved students and families.  She is keenly aware of the social deterrents and disparities that can affect student access to and success in education.  Your Committee believes that Ms. Cuaresma will bring energy and passion to her role as a Board of Education member.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui from the Governor, Kaneohe Ranch, Kamehameha Schools, United Aloha Way, KCCA Preschools of Hawai‘i, Child & Family Service, Hui for Excellence in Education, Hawaii Education Matters, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Young Men's Christian Association of Honolulu, Hawaii School Bus Association, and ten individuals. 

 

     Ms. Lupenui received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  She then went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Tulane University. 

 

     Ms. Lupenui has an extensive background in business administration.  She was more recently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Young Women's Christian Association of Oahu (YWCA) where she was responsible for directing the strategic planning, development, and overall management of an organization with more than $10,000,000 in assets since 2001.  She has been instrumental in raising $2,200,000 for the new economic and youth programs at the YWCA through private grants.  Ms. Lupenui also led the revitalization of the YWCA's community-building strategy in an environment of very limited resources.  She has succeeded in creating a more sustainable business model to assist the YWCA accomplish its mission and objectives.

 

     Prior to working at the YWCA, Ms. Lupenui was a small business owner and business development consultant.  She hosted and associate-produced "Entrepreneurship", a televised course for the Department of Education which educated high school students on self-employment and business plan writing skills. 

 

     Ms. Lupenui has honed her constituency-building and leadership skills through her involvement in a number of community boards and committees.  She is a Board member of the Hawai‘i Alliance for Non-Profit Organizations, Aloha United Way, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Public Broadcasting Service Hawaii, and the Center for Asian Pacific American Women.  She also serves as a committee member of the Kamehameha Schools Trustee Selection Committee.

 

     When asked whether she would like to see more cooperation between the Department of Education and non-profit organizations, Ms. Lupenui responded that she believes public-private partnerships are critical to providing educational wrap-around services to Hawaii's students in light of the State's fiscal situation.  Through her work at the YWCA, Ms. Lupenui has personal experience in how the involvement of non-profits in education can bolster individual student achievement.

 

     Ms. Lupenui's business acumen and passion for community service will make her a great asset to the Board of Education and will help to invigorate Hawaii's public school system. 

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Nancy Jo-Yamakawa Budd from the Governor; a member of the Kaua‘i County Council; Kaneohe Ranch; Hawaii State Teachers Association; Garden Island Arts Council; Deja Vu Surf Hawaii; Kapa‘a Family Physicians; Kauai Independent Daycare Services, Inc.; Hui for Excellence in Education; Hawaii Education Matters; Hawaii School Bus Association; and nineteen individuals.

 

     Ms. Budd received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Chico.  She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis.  Ms. Budd is currently an attorney on Kauai and has been in practice since 1980.  She currently has her own law firm, concentrating on estate planning, estate and trust administration, elder law, real estate, business, and charitable planning.  From 1982 to 1987, Ms. Budd was the managing attorney of Legal Aid Society of Hawaii's Kauai office. 

 

     Ms. Budd founded the King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Association and Kauai District Parent Teacher Student Association.  Ms. Budd continues to give back to the educational community, having volunteered as a third grade tutor at Wilcox Elementary School for the past thirteen years.

 

     Ms. Budd believes the role of the Board of Education is to develop and promote a coherent educational policy for the State's public school system.  Ms. Budd testified that it is important that the Board clarify the lines of accountability between the Board and Department of Education.

 

     When asked by your Committee what role she feels parent teacher organizations play in education, Ms. Budd responded that these organizations are critical to the success of schools and are the key to fostering public-private partnerships that help increase the level of communication within communities. 

 

     Ms. Budd has devoted many years to the support and improvement of the State's educational system.  Her dedication and commitment to education will make her an invaluable asset to the Board of Education.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

 

 

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair