In both welding and woodworking I've had the privilege to teach him in. He has also demonstrated a strong commitment to safety. He understands that skill and responsibil- responsibility go hand in hand, and he models that mindset for others around him. Most importantly, he shows quiet leadership through his work ethic, positive attitude, and willingness to learn. He is the kind of student every teacher hopes to have in their classroom. It is an honor to recognize him tonight, and I am excited to see all the great things he will accomplish in the future. Thank you. You go, buddy. >> [applause] [snorts] >> Hello. My name is Kylie Wolfe. I teach English here at the high school. It is my third year. >> [snorts] >> As an English teacher, I hope to inspire my students to not only enjoy what I teach, but to genuinely enjoy picking up a book to read.
Uh, and you all we all know each other so well that even if I wanted to try to be an answer to you, like either in the kitchen in the senior center or or at town hall, uh, you you you'd see right through it. Um, so I I don't have a good answer other than please keep keep the contact, keep the lines of communication open. Uh, the you're right. Uh, the state house is an interesting animal. Uh I've only been here for for just under 10 years. Uh and it has a distinct culture. Uh and so maybe that's the answer. Let me let me withdraw the last 30 seconds. Uh it nothing happens here without great collaboration. Uh it's not a place where you know one house I'll speak for myself. I'm one of 160 and so a lot of my power is in uh well all of my power is in working collaboratively with my colleagues and even if I firmly believe in one thing uh and I want to fight for it uh sometimes the worst thing I could do would be to take the floor give a great speech have a lot of social media clicks uh feel really good get a headline in the Metro West Daily News and Ashland would suffer.
So, Coach Grandell, he was investigated, he was cleared, and there was never any charges. Correct. We're all in agreement there. Yeah. >> Correct. And then we had a unanimous panel that recommended his or coming back reinstating him as the coach. Right. And there's not one drop of new evidence of wrongdoing from coach Randell as it stands today. Right. >> Okay. So basically what you're saying is that being cleared no longer matters and that an allegation alone standing alone holds more weight than due process which I remind you is part of our constitution than investigations and actual evidence. And that's the standard we're all okay to sit on today. That will be the standard for every teacher, every administrator, and every single one of you sitting on that board. That's the standard we're gonna hold here. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I was waiting for the time to restart, but I'll be quick.
>> Good afternoon, Chair Kim, Vice Chair Kedani, members of the committee. I'm Heidi Armstrong, Department of Education, and the department um supports this bill. This bill was not initiated by the department, but the department recognizes that Hawaii is the only state that does not currently have a lensure pathway for school psychologists. And by participating in this workg group, the outcome um would hopefully be able to inform future policy decisions without presupposing a specific regulatory outcome. >> Can you explain that? What did you just said? the there are um different viewpoints on lensure and we don't want to make any presuppositions as to which viewpoint um is um takes more weight. And so this working group would bring together regulatory agencies and state agencies to discuss um possibilities of um the significance of issuing a license for the school psychologist workg group. >> Okay. >> Thank you.
Talking with students about books that they are reading is one of my favorite things about my job. It tells me that I have reached at least one student, and it helps me find new books to add to my classroom library. Until this year, I would casually talk about books with some students, but this year, I have had a special student who not only talks about books with me, but brings in her own to share with me and the class. This student is Piper Meener. >> [applause] >> Miss Piper, as I call her, is one of the most funny and generous students I have ever had the honor of teaching. Firstly, I would like to expand upon just how funny she is. Last semester, I had Miss Piper in my eighth hour class. By the end of the day, all teachers and students are ready to go home, which means they may be excited and have a lot of energy, and I am not talking about the teachers, I am talking about the students.
Uh and so I think you all know but it never hurts to remind uh myself and maybe others as well uh that this work requires uh very intentional and uh uh deliberative uh efforts and most of that happens in with colleagues and in conversations with all of you and very little of it is ever embodied in a social media post. Uh, and so, uh, know that that we're always or I'm always, you know, I think I know I can speak for both of us, doing everything that's possible. Uh, and, uh, I'm still loving the job. I'm still the the idealist that that you first all met a decade ago. Uh, an idealist who's decided to try to be a realist and get things done as well. Uh so while we dream about how things could be different, uh my primary goal is to continue to deliver for Ashland uh any way I can.
My name is Lanessa Springer, and I have three kids in the district. Well, one, I have an incoming eighth grader, so that'll be two. But what I want to say u pertains to item 6.7. It looks like uh we're one to consolidate the school under the board. Item 6.7 is to look at the consolidation of the school under >> 6.7. >> Okay. Well, >> well still what you want. >> So it looks at whether we need to consolidate because of declining enrollment. Correct. I think that's what it had said. We've had lots of constituents in this room come up and talk about why they choose West Valley. And they choose it for the sports. I work in this school program. Why kids come to school is to play sports. That is why they show up. It's for people like Grandal. It's people like Melissa. It is because of them that they continue to come.
>> Christopher Fernandez, Board of Psychology, DCCA. Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, members of the committee. My name is Christopher Fernandez, executive officer to the board of psychology. I'm here to stand on the board's testimony supporting the intent. Uh the testimony is the same as the previous committee. Um nothing changed in the bill. Um and that uh was something that the board was looking at uh the board makeup. I mean, sorry, not the sorry, I'm talking about the working group makeup. Sorry about that. Um, so the board had requested that if it was the intention of the working group to look at putting school psychology specialists into uh 465 that we would include. We requested that HPA be included since the psychologists have a vested interest in that chapter. Um, that was the only thing that we had asked thus far from this. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Alex.
>> [snorts] >> There were multiple times that I would walk into my classroom to see her dancing or standing on a chair or just making a very odd face at me in lieu of a greeting, which was very weird, but it was funny. One thing I know for certain is that if Miss Piper is in my class, I will surely enter to find a surprise, and that it will most likely make me laugh. Before I comment on her generosity, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge her academic strengths. Miss Piper is one of the hardest workers that I see all day. During reading and writing days, she is observant, focused, and always willing to take criticism in order to improve her work. She's a brilliant writer, annotator, and reader, which is another reason that I have so appreciated having her in my class. As an avid reader myself, I am thrilled when students share that they like reading just as much as I do.
I would uh sort of uh do a variation of the theme. Uh when I moved to Ashland in the 80s, I had no thought about ever running for state government um or even local government. starting out on the school committee uh which was a great uh source of wealth of knowledge and the way things run in the towns working closely with the select board at the time and uh all of the town officials and constituents. Uh that's what prompted me to run as you know for state rep when the seat became vacant uh to help change the chapter 70 funding formula working with so many of you here and and beyond. um what I've learned and and that clearly was an enormous task. I had no idea how enormous that task was or would be. I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I first went there.
And if we shut those programs down and we don't have the coaches, they're not going to come. So, you're looking at this because of declining enrollment. Your enrollment is going to go out the window. You're not going to have a district. You are going to sign your death warrant. So, please make the right choices and save our district because if you don't have those athletic programs, that is why kids come to school. The bottom half. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> What subject? What subject are you talking about? >> Sports. Oh, okay. >> So, my name is Josh Wy and u I'll tell you or my family was on the other side of the coin. We left West Valley because of volleyball and I have three beautiful daughters and uh they they came to West Valley for the sports and for a great school, great education.
Please come on up. >> I don't know if I said your name correctly. >> That's correct. >> Thank you. >> Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, >> members of the committee. I'm Alex Likton. I'm the legislative chair for the Hawaii Psychological Association. I'm here to offer comments and and ask for an amendment. Uh HPA does support the licensing or credentiing of school psychologists. uh we are an important stakeholder in the process but are excluded from the proposed working group in HP189. We were included in past versions of the bill which did not pass. Therefore, we're asking for an amendment to include HPA in the working group given the position by the school psychologist uh that they're part of the same profession and they want to be licensed on the board of psychology that me very much affects us is then two members of the school psychologist members they would be added to the board of psychology uh and decide on licensing plates complaints against psychologists.
Early on in the year, Miss Piper and I realized that we like the same books, which are thrillers. We would often find that we were reading a book that the other was currently reading or had already read. This made for very exciting conversations, at least for bookworms, to reflect [snorts] on what we so enjoyed reading and shared our thoughts with someone else. We have shared book recommendations, borrowed each other's paperbacks, and speculated on what books would be a worthy addition to our classroom library in order to get other students interested in reading. Without Miss Piper, I would not have had my own little book club this year that has brought me so much joy and new books to read. Caring on with the idea of books, I want to circle back to the generosity that I had previously mentioned earlier on. As I am always trying to find deals on used books that the students would be interested in, Miss Piper has offered, multiple times, to bring in her own copies of her books so that her peers could enjoy them, too.
But um once I won and then ran for state senate, I've never looked back. It is probably I would say the the two words that come to mind in doing this job is frustrating. It is incredibly frustrating. things can take really a long time. I look at the chapter 70 you know what we started in 1998 999 we had some reform along the next decades the major reform was 2019 we're due for another round uh some of the things that I've been able to accomplish overhauling the old chin system the children in need of services so kids didn't have to go to court or jail or get records criminal records that took seven years to do um and I do feel that our system I mean it's frustrating but it's also the most rewarding job that I have ever had or could ever think of with the ability to to do and have a positive impact on the residents of Ashland Metro West and beyond.
Um once we got there it was a bit different story. Um but my my daughter Kayla Wy who was an athlete there graduated West Valley in 2024 um she's over then Reno at college she sent you a letter no one well actually one person responded I don't know if you guys read it last night but I've been hearing a lot of kind of bashing I guess a little bit of the principal let's call it Justin Bixby and I've known that guy 12 years No, he uh met my do my oldest daughter Kayla um which he was in seventh grade. She was at a camp for volleyball and he immediately just took her under and said, "Hey, I can see some talent in you." Um he did outside activities. He would invite her to go work out, showed her how to work out. Justin's passionate about working out.
Thank you very much uh for the opportunity to testify. Welcome. Thank you. See, Lesie Bonnage. >> Yes. Hi, my name is Bonik. Aloha, Chair Kim, Vice Chair Kadani, and members of committee, and thank you for the opportunity to testify. Um, I first joined the HASP working group to establish licensing or credentiing in the state of Hawaii in 2011. I wrote the first draft of this bill in 2014 and have subsequently got it uh introduced in some form or another for every legislative session since. Um originally we were working with Lesie Slavin and Jill Elliot with HPA who were amenable and supportive of of us moving forward. Um and um that that was when they were included in that. Um, since then, um, we've had several adversarial meetings with HPA where they have a lot of incorrect information they like to share and you can verify their testimony for yourselves.
There have also been times that I require students to buy a copy of a book that is needed for class, and while this is a requirement, I always try to buy a few extra copies of the books with my own money just in case a student or a family cannot afford to buy the book. While talking about this with my co-teacher, Piper approached me and said, "Miss Wolf, I was not trying to be nosy, but I overheard your conversation. I have a copy or two of that novel at home, and I would like to bring it in so that you can give my copies to the students that need them." This offer was completely unprompted, but so genuinely appreciated. Because of these characteristics and events, I have chosen Piper Meiner as my Soaring Eagle for the 2025-2026 school year. Miss Piper, you have been so wonderful to teach, and I am so proud to be your teacher.
Whether it be the the student opportunity act for our kids, overhauling early education and care, uh overhauling the way our kids go to community college, making it free for the first time. We have effectively gotten rid of public higher ed debt. We've made community college free tuition and fees and our state universities as well as our UMass system. If uh kids are eligible for the federal PEL grants, that's why it's so important Trump doesn't get rid of that. If they are elig eligible, they are also eligible for state assistance in tuition and fees, effectively making their college education free as well. This is the first state in the nation that has done that so thoroughly. And that you talk about affordability not only for our students and families now being able to attend and and uh go to college but bettering and furthering their education if that's what they want for them to be able to realize their American dream and uh have higher salaries and and earn more and have uh move up the the ladder and in their uh uh mobility.
Justin's passionate about just teaching kids to be good human beings. Yeah, he's a volleyball coach. He's a principal, but when we all get on our deathbed, who cares? Were you a good person? He's a good man. And I can tell you that um no one's perfect. The old volleyball coach not perfect. Maybe the new volleyball coach not perfect. But Justin coached Caleb, my oldest. He coached Morgan, my middle daughter, and he coached my youngest daughter, Brena. Um, and I tell you what, if Justin was the head coach, might be different. We left West Valley. Um, he's a good guy. Kind of hate seeing getting beat up constantly around here, but I can tell you that there is another side of the coin. And um you know I I just want to say my confidence is in Justin as a as a human being. Sure he's not perfect, but I tell you what, I'd have him as my kids teacher and coach any day of the week.
I'm not going to waste the committee's time on that. As such, we are not amendable to having them or any other private organization and want to stick to government entities and our own group. Um, our national association does represent us. Our state association does represent us. Hawaii psych association has no mechanism to represent school psychologists and have been adversarial towards us. So, if we want to move forward with this in a um a collaborative way, it won't be with HPA based on their current and past behavior.