Editor’s note: “Student Voices” is an ongoing series of columns and commentary written by young people in Hawaii who are interested in civic engagement and political action.

Since his entrance into the governor’s office in 2014, David Ige has repeatedly named education in Hawaii public schools as one of his top priorities.

With the Hawaii State Teachers Association officially endorsing the incumbent for a second term, and his recent win in the August Democratic primary against Colleen Hanabusa, one can expect this focus on education to only continue. Ige’s emphasis on education stems from his desire to gradually work toward improvement in Hawaii’s workforce.

Regarding public education, Ige’s official website states, “Hawaii’s children deserve quality public education that provides an opportunity for all students to achieve their highest potential. Quality public education also creates a workforce with the skills and knowledge that are necessary for a strong economy.”

With almost 180,000 students attending public schools in the state during the 2017-18 school year, according to the Hawaii Department of Education, this focus on education is not only warranted, but crucial.

His plan for public education reform and improvement, “Hawaii’s Blueprint for Public Education,” published in July 2017, details his priorities of innovation-based education for students across the state, as well as his efforts towards increasing teacher and staff retention rates.

Ige’s Cool Classrooms Initiative designated $100 million to install air conditioning units in 1,000 classrooms during the 2016 legislative session. While it didn’t meet its 1,000 classroom goal until August 2017, eight months after its scheduled completion date, the initiative continues, with 1,319 installed units as of May 2018.

Ige’s support of the growth of the state’s Early College Program, which gives high school students the opportunity to earn college credits for free through dual enrollment classes, also contributed to advancements in public education for Hawaii students.

This past June, Ige signed House Bill 2607, allotting $500,000 to develop computer science programs throughout public schools statewide and requiring the Hawaii DOE to implement a computer science curriculum for students grades K-12 beginning in 2021, as well as to offer at least one computer science course per year for high school students that could be used to satisfy either one math or one science credit. This new initiative provides much needed support for computer science and STEM programs throughout the state.

Now, with the prospect of a new term under Ige looming, it’s understandable to wonder what he can do next for public schools in the state.

Moving forward, Ige’s official website reports that the Ige Administration Education Plan is to “Work to increase weighted student formula spending at the school level to 75 percent of our education funding, from the current 58 percent level; Reform our ‘top-down’ bureaucracy so that the system supports our schools; Increase funding that supports school-initiated, innovative approaches to education; Appoint individuals to the Board of Education who have a stake in the system’s success, including those with children in public schools; Create a system that provides financial incentives for effective principals to remain at their schools.”

More importantly, are these goals plausible?

Ige’s past accomplishments with the public school system are commendable, but there are definitely more things that need to be done. If he is elected to a second term, the state can only hope for even more improvements in its education system.

Not all schools are fully equipped with air-conditioning.

Can we continue to grow the Early College and Running Start programs to continue our trends in student advancement?

The expansion of computer science programs was great, but how about an expansion of fine arts programs or student publications?

As a high school senior attending public school in Hawaii, I’m extremely grateful for the various initiatives and progress that Ige has made in improving the conditions of my education.

Now, with the possibility of a second term under Ige becoming more and more real, it is crucial that we understand what he’s done in the past, and that we support his work to do even more to teach Hawaii’s keiki in the future.

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