Sen. Sam Slom tells Matayoshi that while he appreciated her presentation and candor, he sees things through a different lens.

“I see this from a jaundiced eye,” he says. “Over the last 40 years, I’ve sent four kids to public school, I graduated from public school myself. I’ve heard all the promises of things to be done.

“Fortunately, we have poet laureates in Hawaii who can write wonderful grants. But what is this transformation going to be like? What are these changes actually going to be?”

Matayoshi replied that she won’t make excuses for the Department of Education, and she realizes the negative perception of the school district isn’t going to change overnight just because Hawaii received a $75 million grant.

“We know that,” she said. “And we know that in fact to raise expectations and to dash them is probably worse than never raising them at all. The burden is there. We feel there is a very small window, and it’s closing…to use the momentum we gained from just winning the Race, to move forward with important education reforms.”