The Hawai‘i State Board of Education today unanimously approved the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) recommendation to appoint Disa Hauge as complex area superintendent to oversee the schools in the Nānākuli-Waiʻanae Complex Area. The Board’s Human Resources Committee previously voted on the recommendation at an Oct. 4 meeting.
Hauge has been serving as the interim Nānākuli-Waiʻanae complex area superintendent since Nov. 5, 2020. She previously served as principal at Wai‘anae High, vice principal and principal at Mā‘ili Elementary, and also trained and taught at Nānāikapono Elementary, Wai‘anae Intermediate and Wai‘anae High. Hauge's experience spans nearly 40 years — all on the Wai‘anae Coast.
“Ms. Hauge’s nearly three years of experience as the interim complex area superintendent, along with her 27 years of experience as a school administrator, provides her with an intimate knowledge of the Department and allows her to be responsive to the needs of schools and effectively communicate with all levels of the tri-level system,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in his recommendation to the Board. “As CAS, Ms. Hauge will provide executive leadership by upholding the values of high expectations, equity, and cultural understanding in all matters through a productive professional culture.”
While leading the Nānākuli-Waiʻanae Complex Area in an interim capacity, Hauge has been credited with collaborating with the Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Center (WCCHC) to facilitate community food drive-thrus at schools, expanding WCCHC sites in schools, building a complex system of academic and behavioral supports for schools, cultivating professional development opportunities within the complex area, and developing dashboards to monitor and address student growth, attendance and social-emotional health.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a professional diploma in science education and a master’s in educational administration from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Her appointment is effective Oct. 5.
