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HSTA Candidate Questionnaire 2022 Hawaii State Legislature Candidates

Email *

nikhilananda@hawaiiantel.net

Candidate name *

NIKHILANANDA

Political party affiliation *

GREEN

Are you running for Senate or the House? *

House

Which district number are you running for?

13

Candidate mailing address *

P.O. BOX 1704 MAKAWAO MAUI, HAWAI'I 96768-1704

Candidate cell phone *

808-269-2218

Candidate alternate phone *

808-572-USUS(8787)

Candidate email address *

nikhilananda@hawaiiantel.net

Candidate Questionnaire

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1. What benefit is there for HSTA to recommend someone for your legislative seat? If there is a benefit, then please explain why we should recommend you as a legislature? *

Having an endorsement from the HSTA is advantageous in that residents will realize that the largest educational organization in Hawai'i has trust in this individual. We need educated people in the legislature. Nevertheless, too often endorsements are made to incumbents, which I did experience years ago with an individual lacking in advanced education yet did secure an endorsement!

Nevertheless, too many lack the critical thinking, education and life experiences necessary to be an effective representative. I am a resident of the 13th District for over thirty-four years. I possess an M.A. in Public Law and Urban Affairs from The American University in Washington, D.C., a B.A. in Political Science from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. I have a Hawai'i Facilitator Certificate, am a trained Mediator, having been a volunteer Small Claims Division in Circuit Court Mediator for over two years, and for twenty years a volunteer community mediator. I worked as a teacher in both the public school system with the DOE, plus I was the mathematics teacher at the Maui site of the Hawai'i Job Corps. I also taught at Washington International College in Washington, D.C. I have served on Non-profit Boards of Directors and two Maui County Commissions. In addition, for over nine years, I was the Producer and Host of Maui Talks-TV, on Akaku: Maui Community Television. It was the longest continually-running, 90 minute Live public affairs call-in talk show on Akaku and I was awarded numerous awards during its run. I have also volunteered for numerous Maui events. I have had an inactive Real Estate Salesman license for thirty years. I have testified at community meetings, Maui Council Council hearings, various State and County commissions plus have had many articles published in local media. I am a well-known community activist in my legislative district.

2. What are your top three priorities for the State of Hawaii and how will you implement them? What are your top three priorities for public education in our state? *

Structural changes, including campaign finance reform, public financing of elections, Ranked Choice/Instant runoff elections; holding more elected officials accountable for their ethical and legal infractions, as recently occurred with my former State Senator. Taxpayer reform, to recoup millions of dollars of multi-national and former agricultural now development corporations currently evading their fair share of taxes. Then redirecting this largess to social service and educational departments, which would include truly assisting the thousands of house-less and non-sheltered residents. Plus a major effort, not lip service, to provide affordable housing for ALICE and other low income individuals and families, while expanding child care.

Ensure that our public educational departments receive adequate resources for both teachers and students. Increase funding for the physical plants, so girls have sports and other services equal to the boys. Having taught in classrooms too hot for anyone, especially young individuals, is unacceptable! The turnover in educators, teachers and staff is unacceptable; as a result of low pay and poor working conditions. Plus recognition that Substitute teachers are not "sub" but many are highly educated and qualified individuals; include them in HSTA or a sister union!

3. Do you feel public education is adequately funded, and if not what ideas do you have to address adequate funding for public education? *

Every department, organization, group needs more funding and finances. With a top-heavy Department, too much money is being siphoned off to administrators and personnel not in the classroom. This is partially due to the single educational structure in Hawai'i, the only State with such an antiquated system. Restructure the DOE so that each County has more independence for creative, innovative programs. One size does not fit for all. Currently the majority of the money comes from the general fund, which is primarily state tax revenues. It appears the monies, a little over $2.1 billion, has been relatively the same for the last few years, going up slightly. State bonds are the major source for CIP projects. Creative innovations are forced to meander through the bloated bureaucracy, which naturally discourages fresh input from numerous sources. What is clear is that way too much money is swallowed up by the huge State DOE bureaucracy! It is obvious that more money needs to go toward teachers and the physical plants and less to those not in the classrooms and not necessary. This is not to say that there is absolutely no need for administrators and professional support staff; it is the balance which is fatally flawed. We must be especially cognizant of the financial disadvantage some of our students have and provide programs and strategies which address their particular needs. Which obviously points out that each and every student needs to be treated in a holistic manner, so as to provide for them the best chance of success. Teachers teach differently as do students learn differently. Where possible, this must be taken into account and the best environment and support services have to be provided. We can not solely raise taxes or charge visitors to pay for the DOE. We must restructure our tax system, minimize waste, which includes the bloated Hawai'i Visitors Bureau and the HVCB.

4. How will you be active in ensuring that public education, and attracting and retaining educators, are prioritized? What specific legislation will you propose to address ongoing systemic failures to deal with these issues? *

Providing more funding so teacher salaries and compensation reflects the State's high cost of living. Financial support and tax relief where appropriate, which would include student loans and various educational costs. Create programs so that qualified educators can rent and/or purchase affordable housing. Child care plus paid family leave are other critical legislative needs. Establish additional funding and perhaps an audit so the citizens of Hawai'i know that they money is going to progressive, positive programs and not being wasted in the black hole of the Department. We must find ways to recruit and retain teachers by lessening their financial burdens.

5. What is your plan to provide teachers with access to affordable rentals and houses? *

An example of positive legislation is HB2345. This would establish funding to provide affordable housing. This needs to be done on each island. The HHFDC is a State agency for housing development and financing. Salaries in Hawai'i for teachers, when adjusted for cost of living, trails the nation. This is unacceptable. Housing is a large portion of a teachers' paycheck. Support additional funding and matching legislation throughout the State, since permitting, planning and land use rules are mostly a County responsibility. We can offer incentives to each County to fast-track affordable developments which offer educators special options to buy and rent these units.

6. How would you support fast-tracking and modernizing the repairs and projects of public education facilities? Please explain. *

.Make it a priority; currently it is not! Offer, propose and support legislation which makes it a priority. South Maui is finally getting a public high school, though there is a charter school located there, which has been needed for at least twenty years! Partially this is a result of a single, top-heavy, O'ahu centric system. A prime example of why the DOE needs to be broken up! Without a legislature which looks at public education as a priority, it will not be. That is why it is critical to have a representative who will speak up and speak out on these issues, having been an educator and teacher for much of my professional life. The budget is divided into two areas; that is the operating budget for administration, testing, schools and school programs. The other part is the capital improvement section, devoted to the physical plant, including construction of new schools, landscaping, land acquisition and maintenance.

Most of the budget in Hawai'i comes from the general funds, plus from federal, special and trust funds. In most communities the funds for schools come primarily from property taxes; not in Hawai'i, since we have a centrally-located, State run system. Perhaps some small percentage of property taxes could be allocated toward education in each County, to be used solely for capital expenditures in the various jurisdictions and locales. Nevertheless the bulk will come from the State coffers.

As to the physical plants and actual school buildings and facilities, new schools need to meet current safety standards; thus designing, retrofitting and constructing of schools will cost more. They will need to not only meet but exceed current standards and building codes. The Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is one source to receive federal funding for instructional facilities improvement. Federal funds for capital improvements are disbursed through the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF). Another source would be educational block grants which have various criteria as to how they may be spent.

Bonds are always a method for raising necessary monies. Municipal bonds are probably the most practical and utilized method for raising necessary monies, especially for school construction. The added benefit is that for the investor, they are tax exempt. The recent conflict within our State legislature regarding one representative wanting to take money away from another jurisdiction to construct a desperately needed school profoundly shows that we need to think outside the box and develop creative methods and mechanisms to raise the necessary capital to construct the needed schools for our system. We also need to support and take advantage of federal programs to reduce school bond interest rates. There are also local school construction bonds. Local School Construction Bonds are typically used to finance a building or capital project. We could use them to construct new facilities or renovate existing buildings. The laws governing them and the amounts of the bond vary throughout the country. Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) can also be used for renovating school buildings. They are administered by the Internal Revenue Service as a provision of the tax code. These bonds provide interest savings for financing school renovations and repairs but cannot be used for new construction. It is criminal and malfeasance on the part of the DOE to be so far behind in maintenance, new construction plus providing air conditioned schools. As previously mentioned, as a DOE teacher, I was personally impacted by this cruel and unacceptable situation.

Another possibility could be an ad valorem tax on property transactions, or, in particular, a percentage of the recording of the conveyance. Again, because of the unique structure of our State, a single office for all recordings, it may offer a particular challenge. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon our legislature and the Department to be creative and research what may have been tried in other jurisdictions.

An important possibility would be to consider alternative and new revenue streams. When taking this into consideration, we must demand that the funding is adequate, and that it is equitable and of course can it be counted on. State legislation may have to be considered. Another area is the idea of privately owned, and/or public/private partnerships in the construction of new school facilities, which can provide a combination of financing, ownership and use arrangements to facilitate construction. If it is true, as most people say, that public education is a priority, then it is necessary to look at as many alternatives as possible. A variety of funding strategies for building options must be included in any discussion of public education in Hawai'i.

There are numerous other Federal monies and creative ways which Hawai'i must seek and take advantage. This is far from an exhaustive list, however it would include, in no particular order, programs such as funds for modernization, emergency repairs, new construction and maintenance, which are available through the Impact Aid Discretionary Construction Grant Program and the Impact Aid Facilities Maintenance Program. Most have restrictions for their use; however, with numerous military bases and facilities located especially on O'ahu, these monies may be available. As public charter schools continue to grow, other programs, such as the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program and the State Charter School Incentive Grants Program need to be considered. The Department of Agriculture has dedicated funds for kitchen improvement, through the Equipment Assistance Grants for School Food Authorities. The Department of the Interior has programs, as does the Department of Defense, which offers the Military Construction Program, providing construction resources for DOD-operated schools on military bases, though these may be too restricted for the DOE to acquire. The Department of Health and Human Services' Head Start program includes grants that can be used for purchasing, renovating and constructing facilities. The Energy Department's State Energy Program grants provides funds through competitive formula grants, which focus on energy efficiency. FEMA provides monies for public school facilities for areas where floods and natural disasters have occurred, such as recently happened in the County of Hawai'i. The Department of Agriculture has a small Rural Community Facilities Program to help rural communities improve their facilities.

7. Would you support legislation that distributes the tax burden more evenly among all income earners? Please explain. *

Of course. Numerous wealthier individuals, who own more than one home and/or property in Hawai'i, and too many multi-national and former agricultural, now development companies, could easily have their tax liabilities increased. The Hawai'i tax code is chock full of right-offs and deductions which solely benefit the affluent individuals and corporations. Get rid of many of them! For ALICE residents and lower and moderate income families and individuals, I would drastically reduce their tax liabilities. I would also get rid of the taxing of food and medical items in the State of Hawai'i.

8. What legislation would you support that would ensure that corporations pay their equitable share of state taxes? *

This is an important and ongoing challenge. Since we have a one-political party State, with many elected legislators beholding to their fund raising and the lobbyists who impact their vote, we know that too many multi-national and former agricultural, now development companies, could easily have their tax liabilities increased. The same is true with the numerous wealthier individuals who own more than one home and/or property in Hawai'i. I would support demanding that our State tax system is revamped to recognize this unacceptable situation. Since our funding for the HIDOE comes from the State general fund and not property taxes as is true in most other jurisdictions in the country, this would take some adjustment, whereas counties could allocate some portion/percentage of collect taxes, especially from high-end homes, toward education. As it is, Maui County has recently introduced a tiered property tax system, which could be expanded, something that I have been advocating and am a proponent of, since my first campaign thirty years ago in 1992.

9. What is your position regarding school vouchers (i.e. public funding going to private education)? *

I do NOT support school vouchers for private schools! I do understand why some families wish to send their children to "better/private" schools; sadly this is happening around the country; I am against it here.

10. How would you hold the governor accountable to ensure he/she/they are held accountable to the citizens of Hawaii in renewing emergency proclamations? Is there any valid reason for the possible suspension of any collective bargaining laws during emergency proclamations? If so, please explain. *

As the governor stated in one of his emergency proclamations: " .... to the extent that compliance or any provision relating to collective bargaining hinders, delays, or impedes the purpose of this Proclamation. .... Obviously, this has to be narrowly defined. Generally I would be against suspension, yet understand an emergency is an emergency. If it appears that the governor exceeded his/her/their authority, then some form/type of legal action may be necessary.