Ige assumes that public schools can be fully reopened for in-person learning by the fall

Gov. David Ige said Tuesday he expects public schools to fully reopen for in-person learning this fall.

“That’s definitely the goal, and I don’t see any situation where we can’t achieve that,” Ige said during a multi-issue phone interview with the Tribune-Herald.

“You know, we expect to have vaccinations for the 12-16 year olds in the coming months and hopefully before the fall semester starts,” he said. “And I know from speaking to the White House that there are ongoing studies of immunizations for children aged 6 to 12. And hopefully we have vaccinations for children from 6 years old. This is how we can encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

“And if many of our students are vaccinated, we can open schools to face-to-face teaching in a much safer way.”

The coronavirus pandemic caused schools to almost entirely close their doors to students for a significant portion of the 2020-21 school year, but most schools have reverted to a hybrid learning model.

State schools chief Christina Kishimoto has come under fire from the state teachers’ union and others for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic. She announced last month she would not seek an extension to her contract, which expires after the school year, and said the controversy over whether to extend it was an “unnecessary distraction”. She said she would devote her remaining time to opening more schools.

“I support the superintendent in what we have done with our public schools,” Ige said. “You know that at this point, 75% of students are back on campus for at least some period of time for in-person study. And I think it’s very appropriate to be careful when it comes to bringing students back.”

Ige defended the decision to keep campuses closed to the majority of students at a time when some mainland school districts were reopening their doors for in-person classes.

“I know other districts have rushed to bring students back and then had to close again because they just weren’t ready and there weren’t enough mitigation strategies in place. And then they had outbreaks caused by students in schools,” he said. “I’m proud that Hawaii continues to lead the country with the lowest infection rates and the lowest death rates. And we’re committed to helping students who are impacted and struggling with online learning. And we are providing the resources to help them catch up.”

Lt. gov. Josh Green said Monday he believes quarantine exemptions for some fully vaccinated travelers could begin as early as May 1 via a Safe Travels Card, a type of vaccination card.

Ige noted he’s “not making any announcements” until plans are finalized, saying he doesn’t have “a specific timeline at this point.”

“We are definitely interested in recognizing vaccinations between islands,” he said. “We’re working through the details. It’s a very complex process. We need to check if anyone has been vaccinated and then really work through the logistics of how to get people through the airport in a way that doesn’t create bottlenecks and other problems.”

Ige said he was concerned about cuts in both the House and Senate versions of the budget bill, saying that the $1.6 billion the state received in the latest round of federal coronavirus relief funds was this make cuts unnecessary.

“There have been significant cuts that the Legislature has made in jobs and dollars that would lead to layoffs of government employees,” he said. “… We believe the American bailout funds are enough that we are no longer considering vacations at all. And we believe we can fund all of those who are currently working in state government.”

A policy change introduced in the Senate budget at the direction of House Speaker Scott Saiki suspends the Pay Commission-recommended pay increases for the governor and his cabinet, judges and legislature until December 31, 2022. The amendment was unanimously approved by a full house on Tuesday.

Ige said in a statement later Tuesday that he supported the amendment suspending pay rises.

“I informed my cabinet months ago that I would not take the pay raise recommended by the Pay Commission and I have asked my cabinet to do the same,” he said. “As public servants, it is our duty to do our part to help the state rebuild the economy while keeping the health and safety of our community our top priority.”

Email John Burnett at [email protected].