Activists Defend Their Motives
The Save Our Schools sit-in protesters say they understand the value of public schools
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 18, 2010
When a sit-in at Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's office loomed for Save Our Schools members, University of Hawaii assistant professor Marguerite Higa and her family did what many academics do to get answers.
"We tried to look for books about sit-ins but couldn't find anything," said Higa, one of 17 people cited and four people arrested for trespassing by state sheriffs during the protest.
Although their efforts failed to persuade Lingle to end Furlough Fridays at public schools, members said they were happy that they raised awareness about the need to fund public education in Hawaii.
Lingle and other Republicans said the group should have focused its efforts on all parties involved in the dispute, including the teacher's union and the Board of Education, rather than only the governor.
"The bottom line is you need agreement from all parties," said Republican House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan.
But Save Our Schools garnered support from other elected officials and a celebrity—bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, who offered to post bail for those arrested. They declined Chapman's offer.
The activists, admittedly unprepared at times for the weeklong sit-in that ended Wednesday, say they have turned their attention away from Lingle and are now focused on getting the candidates running for governor to end furloughs permanently.
In a news conference Friday, Save Our Schools and another parents' group, Hawaii Education Matters, proposed what they called the "People's Plan" to end school furloughs, instituted to help the state cope with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall. They called for spending $55 million to restore 15 of 21 furlough days through March 15 of next year. The group hopes that the next governor will be able to restore the last six furlough days.
The Save Our Schools group, although swelling to more than 100 at a rally at Washington Place last weekend, never attracted more than 35 people at the sit-in.
Most of the sit-in participants, mainly teachers and students in the University of Hawaii system, said they had never participated in such a protest before. The activists said they were hurt when they were vilified by individuals as a small group of troublemakers.
Sue Haglund, 33, a 1995 graduate of Radford High School, said university students and teachers became involved because they've witnessed the importance of education in their own lives. "We know firsthand going through the public school system it's possible to reach for a higher degree."
Haglund, who holds two master's degrees and is working toward a doctorate in political science, said there was no conspiracy and that she met the other protesters for the first time at the sit-in.
Another member, Clare Hanusz, who works as an immigration attorney, spent part of a day at the sit-in reviewing the Hawaii penal code to learn the penalties for trespassing.
Hanusz, 42, whose children attend Noelani Elementary School in Manoa, said many Save Our Schools members believe public schools are incredibly important as the foundation for democracy.
"Public schools can be one of the great societal equalizers," Hanusz said.
"We could afford private schools. But we chose public schools ... the future of Hawaii or any place where human beings live is in their children."
Higa, 42, a 1985 graduate of Mililani High School, said she never before had been involved in a sit-in and neither had her husband, Jeffrey, executive director of Hawaii Plantation Village in Waipahu.
The two have an 8-year-old daughter who attends public school, and Higa works as an assistant professor in zoology at the University of Hawaii.
Higa said public schools are the backbone of the community, where people associate with individuals of different ethnic groups and lifestyles. "You learn to work with everybody."
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