Education Board Considers Initiating Superintendent Search

The State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education has placed on its Nov. 1, 2016 General Business Meeting agenda an action item to discuss beginning a process to search for a Superintendent of Hawaiʻi’s public school system.

The proposed action is that the BOE will form a committee to, among other things, determine the process and timeline for the search as well as the composition of the group performing the search.

It is anticipated that the BOE will conduct its search over the coming months, with the hopes that a successful candidate will begin employment on July 1, 2017.

This proposed action is being initiated in anticipation of the ending of the contract term of current Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, which is set to conclude on June 30, 2017.

According to the BOE, the Department of Education faced numerous challenges and initiated substantial changes during Superintendent Matayoshi’s term, making nationally recognized progress in improving student achievement and instituting reform.

“This is an ideal time to transition to new leadership that will help the DOE continue its efforts to reduce the achievement gap and prioritize achievement for all students,” said BOE Chairperson Lance Mizumoto.

The BOE and DOE have been engaging the community and working on a review and extension of the Joint Strategic Plan, a comprehensive plan for education in Hawaiʻi that focuses on the three main goals of Student Success, Staff Success, and Successful Systems of Support.

The BOE and DOE have also been working with the Governor’s Every Student Succeeds Act team in developing a blueprint for Hawaii’s public schools that will maximize opportunities and possibilities for Hawaiʻi to transform education.

The BOE formulates statewide educational policy and appoints the Superintendent as the chief executive officer of the public school system.