Aloha,
Over the summer we celebrated the achievements of the class of 2016 and worked hard to prepare for this school year. From leadership conferences to continued work on updating our Strategic Plan, the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) remains committed to positively impacting the direction of education for all students.
HIDOE and the Board of Education (BOE) are also developing a state plan for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a reauthorization of the major federal K-12 education law. ESSA is a welcome change from as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in providing additional flexibility. We are taking advantage of this flexibility by using our state’s
Strategic Plan for education to guide the preparation of the state’s ESSA plan for federal funding.
The Strategic Plan review and extension process is informed by our schools’ and educators’ innovations and progress from the last few years, combined with ideas from more than 2,500 community members – including teachers, students, leaders, and parents who participated in 108 focus groups and over 1,400 surveys — research, best practices, and the Governor’s ESSA Team. The Strategic Plan revisions will build upon schools’ successes and identify innovative solutions to support a high quality education for all of our students.
The revised Strategic Plan is due to the BOE on December 6, 2016 and will inform the BOE and HIDOE’s priorities for action and resources in the next few years, including our state’s ESSA plan to receive federal funds and next school year’s academic and financial plans from schools.
This fall, HIDOE and BOE will continue to share updates and seek feedback about the strategic plan review and the state’s ESSA plan for federal funding. We invite you to stay informed about upcoming
BOE Community Meetings and the latest HIDOE news at HawaiiPublicSchools.org, where you can subscribe to our e-newsletters (see link in the footer of this website).
Mahalo for your support of public education and have a wonderful school year!
Very truly yours,
Kathryn Matayoshi
Superintendent
SY 2016-17 State and Complex Area Leaders, left to right: CAS Lanelle Hibbs, CAS Art Souza, CAS Ann Mahi, CAS on Assignment Teri Ushijima, CAS Donna Lum Kagawa, Asst. Supt. Clyde Sonobe, CAS Lindsay Ball, CAS Matt Ho, Supt. Kathryn Matayoshi, CAS Brad Bennett, Deputy Supt. Stephen Schatz, CAS John Erickson, Senior Asst. Supt. and CFO Amy Kunz, CAS Ruth Silberstein, CAS Chad Keone Farias, CAS John Brummel, Asst. Supt. Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, Asst. Supt. Suzanne Mulcahy, CAS Leila Hayashida, Asst. Supt. Dann Carlson, CAS Bill Arakaki, and CAS Rodney Luke.