Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 9, 1 September 2010 — MUFI HANNEMANN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MUFI HANNEMANN

1. 1 support charter schools as sites of indigenous learning and education and this is a matter of great importance to Hawaiian families. I would direct that public-education money be distributed equitably, in eomplianee with state law. We also need to break down the division between traditional puhlie and charter schools. Charters ean innovate and provide research opportunities into new, more effective school and classroom structures, better approaches to curriculum and standards, and improved teaching practices, then extend that into the larger school system, including unique Hawaiian eultural and teaching practices. 2. I am a strong supporter of Native Hawaiian resource

management and environmental practices, whieh is why I created the 21 st Century Ahupua'a program as Mayor of Honolulu. Environmental review laws should be re-examined. I strongly support OEQC's (Office of Environmental Quality Control) recent creation of an advisory committee to develop clear guidelines on cultural impact assessments, and believe we need to revisit the environmental review process, particularly as they affect cultural assessments, to see how the law ean be improved to better protect our natural and cultural resources. 3. Steps ean include ensuring positions are filled by qualified individuals, not only in scientific fields but for data management and technology. The state's GIS (Geographic Infonnation System) is outdated, and this could be an opportunity to leverage certain aspects of Honolulu's state-of-the-art GIS system. The state ean partner with the city and develop the appropriate security and layers to support the business of preservation, an effort that could be expanded to the counties. We used city and federal money to supplement SHPD for the rail transit project, an example that could be expanded to other efforts. XI HANNEMANN ON PAGE 24

HANNEMANN

Continued from page 4 4. There is no quick fix for social programs, short of growing the economy. I'm calling for an audit/management review to identify cost savings and ways to improve operations. The most iimnediate solution is to maximize the drawdown of federal money by fully funding state matching funds, in Medicaid for example. State agencies with mandates for heahh and social needs must get out of their silos and work together, in partnership with nonprofits, to build

a seamless service network and share resources. Long-term goals must focus on education and prevention to reduce the social service burden, as in substance abuse, personal heahh, workforce development and child care. 5. We need to find a plaee in Hawai'i to house our prisoners. We must work whh coimnunities to identify a site, then develop a community benefits package to offset the burden of a prison. We should support programs to prevent Hawaiians from being incarcerated and reduce recidivism, including using Hawaiian cultural values, support programs and youth activities. ■

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