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Melanie Bailey, Board of Education Candidate

Melanie Bailey

“I want the people of Hawaii to speak with pride about our public schools.” — Melanie Bailey, candidate for the Board of Education, Oahu At-Large

Aloha, my name is Melanie Bailey. I am a candidate for the Hawaii State Board of Education and I want to let you know why I believe you should vote for me. As an At-Large candidate, all Oahu residents can vote for me.

Most people in Hawaii have not paid much attention to the Board of Education in the past. I have to admit I didn’t until this last year, when the decision was made to use Furloughs in our public schools. I could no longer sit on the sidelines. I had to get involved. I have always believed in positive solutions, so I began to read every thing I could about education in Hawaii and around the country. As the mother of a school age child, I knew I had to make sure that a situation like Furlough Fridays would never occur again.

I began researching legislative requirements throughout the country that mandate a minimum number of school days per year and hours of instruction per day. Did you know Hawaii was the only state that left the amount of days of school and hours of instructional time to labor negotiations? Did you know our instructional time per day was well below the average in other states?

I was instrumental in the passing of HB2486 which mandates the days of school per year and gradually increases the hours of instructional time per day until we will be in line with the rest of the nation. I followed the bill through the legislative process until it was signed into law by the Lt Governor in June. To pass a bill in one session is considered to be quite an accomplishment!

And now,

  • I want to make a difference on the Board of Education.
  • I want to make sure our children’s success is the basis for every decision.
  • I want to be a fresh set of eyes looking for positive solutions.
  • I want to be a supportive partner to the Department of Education.
  • I want to focus on improvement, not just setting goals.
  • I want the people of Hawaii to speak with pride about our public schools.

As our presence at the Capitol this year became noticeable we got a nickname “the moms”. And, this year it became quite evident that representatives of school age children are lacking on the Board of Education.

But, I have other qualifications as well. My degree and career have been spent in management in successful multi-million dollar companies. I am comfortable working with numbers, analyzing data, and making fiscally sound business decisions. We will always be working within a budget, we need to make intelligent “achievement oriented” financial decisions and I have the experience to help do that.

In Hawaii’s Race to the Top presentation it became clear that one of the primary reform efforts was taking place in the area of Human Resources, my specialty. I have experience evaluating effective employees (in this case teachers and principals), working with contracts (including labor contracts), and working with the complicated nuances of employment relationships to build consensus and achieve collaborative results.

As a volunteer, I have worked on crisis hotlines and with at risk individuals in various capacities throughout my life. I have also been the Treasurer of Aikahi Elementary School PTSA, Lanikai Canoe Club and the International Hawaiian Canoe Association.

My work in the legislature and with the community this year will be a big advantage as the Board of Education works to reform and improve the quality of Hawaii’s public education. Please vote for me on Election Day!

Mahalo,

Melanie Bailey
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Links:

Melanie Bailey — Kathy Bryant-Hunter campaign website

11 Board of Education Candidates [Olelo] Video, 48 min 45 sec

2010 Election: Candidates & Info   Statewide complete candidate list [HPI]