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Linda Lingle on Public Education as a Good Investment

Acknowledging coming changes in political leadership, as well as new educational leaders at the Department of Education and in the University of Hawai‘i System, Hawai‘i Gov. Linda Lingle called for support of the proposed constitutional amendment to change the structure of the Board of Education.

Watch the video of her presentation below.



Summarized highlights: Public Education as a Good Investment at Any Time

Lingle, who opened the lunch program, said the University of Hawai‘i continues to be a premier institution in the Asia Pacific region, she said. She described the pride of alumni she meets throughout the region and the recognition of UH leadership in clean energy, astronomy, hospitality, marine biology and regional security.

While the fiscal situation in the state cannot support the status quo, she said, public education must focus on what it promised in its Race to the Top application, and UH should be provided with the autonomy, support and resources that it requires.

“Focusing on higher education to develop human capital is a good place to be using our energies, and investing in innovative capacity of people is a well-placed investment at any time,” she said, reiterating the call to provide lifelong learning.

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About Linda Lingle

As Hawai‘i’s chief executive, Gov. Linda Lingle leads the direction and effort to meet the challenges of the 21st century and capitalize on new opportunities during a pivotal and exciting time of change in the history of our state and world. She has provided vision for economic transformation through the Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative and the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, designed to make the state a global leader in the 21st-century economy.

Her comprehensive five-point action plan seeks to improve current economic conditions for Hawai‘i residents and businesses through tested strategies that create jobs and stimulate the economy, including the ongoing modernization of infrastructure. She also has focused on improving the quality of life for residents; fulfilling commitments to Native Hawaiians; upgrading public facilities; protecting Hawai‘i’s natural resources; and forging links with Asia-Pacific neighbors.

The elected governor of Hawai‘i, Lingle took office Dec. 2, 2002, and was re-elected for a second four-year term in November 2006 by the largest margin of victory in any gubernatorial race in state history, winning all 51 house precincts. She is the first mayor, first woman and first person of Jewish ancestry to be governor and the first Republican to lead the Aloha State in more than 40 years. In November 2005, she was awarded the Diversity Best Practices Award for Leadership in Government—the first such award for a state’s chief executive.

She previously served as a member of the Maui County Council and two-term mayor of Maui County. A native of St. Louis, Mo., she moved with her family to Southern California at age 12, graduated from Birmingham High School and relocated to Hawai‘i in 1975 after graduating from California State University, Northridge. In 1976 she founded and began serving as publisher of the Moloka‘i Free Press.

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