By COLIN M. STEWART Tribune-Herald Staff Writer ADVERTISING The little town of Waimea rose up on Thursday evening and told its charter school board of directors from Honolulu in no uncertain terms that it would not be pushed around. Seven
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
The little town of Waimea rose up on Thursday evening and told its charter school board of directors from Honolulu in no uncertain terms that it would not be pushed around.
Seven members of the nonprofit Ho’okako’o Corp. were at the Waimea Middle School gymnasium to answer to parents following the resignation of school Principal John Colson, whose departure was announced last week to a loud outcry from the community.
There has been much speculation as to the cause of Colson’s exit, as the board’s members have said they cannot discuss the issue due to personnel record confidentiality.
Before the 6 p.m. meeting, about 50 to 60 parents and students lined Hawaii Belt Road at the intersection with Lindsey Road in Waimea. Holding aloft signs with messages like “We Miss Mr. Colson,” and wearing T-shirts reading “Team Colson,” they shouted and threw out shakas to passersby as they honked their horns in support.
More than 300 residents of the town, students and their parents filled the chairs, lined the bleachers and stood at the rear of the gym for the meeting. About 40 students were seated on the floor in front of the board, holding signs that read “Bring back Mr. Colson” and “Shame on Ho’okako’o!” Several police officers were also on hand, standing at the rear of the room. One officer said that the school had requested their presence to keep the peace during what could be a very heated meeting.
While the services of the officers ultimately weren’t needed, there was, indeed, plenty of heat on display. Right off the bat, the crowd members made their feelings known when Ho’okako’o Board of Directors Chairman Keith Vieira explained that he and his fellow board members wouldn’t be able to discuss the particulars of Colson’s departure. Loud snickers, boos and and cries could be heard from the crowd in response.
Vieira apologized on behalf of the board for the way in which it handled informing the community of Colson’s departure. Particularly, he said, the members were “sorry for telling the kids before you, the parents.” He added that while he could not discuss Colson’s resignation, which he said the principal offered and the board accepted, he did say that “John Colson did nothing morally or ethically wrong.”
Vieira also introduced Lydia Trinidad, the principal of Kualapuu School on Molokai, as the new interim principal at Waimea. Later in the meeting, as she was being questioned by a pair of former students at the school about how she would assume control and lead the school, Trinidad admitted that she was “nervous” and “scared” about coming into the school during a time of such turmoil.
During a question and answer period that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, parent Melissa Lindsey drew a roar of appreciation and applause from the crowd as she said early in her speech that she and the rest of the community would seek to “dissolve you all as directors” if the board could not “fix the mistake” and return Colson to the school.
Kahu Billy Mitchell was perhaps the most eloquent of the evening’s speakers. “This isn’t an astronomical problem we cannot solve. The problem is, we’re teaching our children that. You’re teaching them they cannot hear the truth, you’re teaching them to go hide the truth. We’re not going to come up to the microphone one at a time to beg you. You must, you must reverse it. You can be part of something. I want you to be part of it. I want you to rise above that board room and those nice chairs and tables there (in Honolulu). Don’t belittle this room,” he said. “Ho’okako’o can turn. In a canoe race, when you get to the markers, you can keep going or make a turn and win the race.”
A theme throughout the night was of parents demanding answers and the board members saying they could no provide them. One parent made an impassioned plea, asking the board members to place their hands on bibles and tell the crowd if they had forced Colson out.
To that, Vieira said simply, “We did not make him resign.” However, he said, that was all he would be able to say concerning the matter.
One concession the board members did make: They agreed that they would return to the rest of the board members and suggest opening a dialogue with Colson to discuss releasing the details of his departure to the public.
Colin M. Stewart can be reached at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
