Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 12, 1 December 1997 — KSBE NEEDS NEUTRALITY [ARTICLE]

KSBE NEEDS NEUTRALITY

There have not been many days recently without a headline on Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate. I agree with those recommendations that legislators stay eautious, especially in terms of broad

changes to the estate. There appears to be quite a number of people who believe they know better than our ali'i. This is an insult to Ke Ali'i Pauahi. The media have rightfully acknowledged that KSBE has two sides: the educational mission and the financial management. What began as issue in school governance has grown into an indictment of KSBE's Enaneial management. What we need is an equally forceful review of the govemance of Kamehameha Schools. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education in the 1980s, I had the opportunity to see how successful such a review could be. During that period the University of Hawai'i was confronted by its accreditation agency wit questions of govemance. We turned to the Camegie Foundation for help in defining roles and policies for the university. This highly regarded educational foundation worked all of us through a process of fact finding and recommended responses. In the end we all had to let go part of our individual kuleana in order to strengthen the institution. If we are to i mua Kamehameha, we must bring in neutrality and begin the process of resolution. Malama Solomon Co-chair, Committee on Water, Land and Hawaiian Affairs Senate of the State of Hawai'i