GOVERNOR DAVID IGE’S PRIORITIES FOR HAWAIʻI
Our Vision
To have a state government that is honest, transparent and responsive to its citizens.
Our Mission
To change the trajectory of Hawai‘i by restoring faith in government and establishing the Hawaiian Islands as a place future generations choose to call home.
Education
Empower our public schools and university, focus on 21st century skills and learning, and ensure schools provide a healthy and safe learning environment.
Housing & Homelessness
Build homes that people can afford, including rentals, to address the needs of those entering the work force. Renovate the state’s public housing facilities. Transition the homeless from sidewalks, beaches, and parks; provide them with the necessary services so they can attain more permanent housing. On O‘ahu, identify state lands near transit stations for housing, employment centers, daycare, senior centers, and community facilities.
Health
Create a 21st century health system that improves access, treatment, and affordability for all Hawai‘i residents, beginning with our children, honoring our elders, and including rural communities on all islands.
Effective, Efficient, and Open Government
Restore the public’s trust in government by committing to reforms that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve transparency and accountability.
- Eliminating unfunded liabilities (pension and health benefits)
- Government efficiency (converting to paperless systems, new payroll system, IT dept. overhaul, credit card changes, etc.)
- Rehabilitate old buildings for state use
Economy
Promote economic diversification and policies that support growth, including attracting more air carriers to Hawai‘i, expanding the U.S. Customs Pre-clearance program, and upgrading and expanding broadband infrastructure. Recognize and support renewable energy initiatives and the military as crucial pillars of Hawai‘i’s economy.
Energy
Ensure a 100 percent renewable energy future in which we work together as a state, focusing on making solar and other technologies available for all.
Agriculture
Double local food production by 2020; develop water and energy resources to support this effort. Provide loans for farmers and more land for agriculture.
Environment
Foster environmental stewardship from mountain to sea. Protect and more efficiently use our fresh water supply. Provide state lands for public use and enjoyment.
Native Hawaiians
Honor, respect, and promote Native Hawaiian culture and sustainability;
Support the Native Hawaiian community’s ongoing efforts for a Hawaiian-based governance structure.
Traffic
Support the development and completion of public transit systems, including bus and rail. Deploy traffic mitigation initiatives to reduce congestion on our roadways.
Taxes
Modernize our tax system, increase efficiency for taxpayers and hold accountable those who do not pay their taxes.
Core Values
Our core values are centered on collaboration and integrity, guiding the state’s new trajectory.
Aloha: We treat everyone with dignity, respect and kindness, reflecting our belief that people are our greatest source of strength.
Kuleana: We uphold a standard of transparency, accountability and reliability, performing our work as a government that is worthy of the public’s trust.
Laulima: We work collaboratively with business, labor and the community to fulfill our public purpose.
Kūlia: We do our very best to reflect our commitment to excellence.
Pono: We strive to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons to deliver results that are in the best interest of the public.
Lōkahi: We honor the diversity of our employees and our constituents through inclusiveness and respect for the different perspectives that each brings to the table.
Ho‘okumu: We continually seek new and innovative ways to accomplish our work and commit to finding creative solutions to the critical issues facing this state.
Education
Governor’s Mission: Empower our public schools and university, focus on 21st century skills and learning, and ensure schools provide a healthy and safe learning environment.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2015 to help shape the country’s approach to education. Recognizing that former federal education laws were overly prescriptive, ESSA empowered educators at the local level to create future-focused public schools and systems. In Hawai‘i, Governor Ige convened nineteen members to serve on the Governor’s ESSA Team on April 26, 2016. The team solicited input and received responses from nearly 3,000 stakeholders across Hawai‘i on what schools and systems should look like in order to prepare students for their unknown futures. The culmination of the team’s efforts resulted in Hawai‘i’s Blueprint for Public Education. It is an aspirational portrait of public education, shaped by community input.
“This is a major opportunity to change the face of public education in Hawai‘i for the better. Our innovation economy depends on a well-educated workforce to meet the state’s goals in renewable energy, locally grown food production, environmental stewardship and more. It is my hope that the public will participate in this process to help our education system prepare students for high-skill careers in the 21st century,” –Gov. David Ige, April 2016
Hawaii’s Blueprint for Public Education
Empower our public schools and university, focus on 21st century skills and learning, and ensure schools provide a healthy and safe learning environment.
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund
On April 22, 2020, Hawaii was awarded $9,993,387 in federal funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund as part of the CARES Act. As each state addresses the significant impacts of the novel coronavirus, the state of Hawaii is embracing three basic tenets of relief, resilience, and reinvention to go beyond “surviving the pandemic” to transforming and reinventing education as a result of it. Governor Ige convened the GEER Advisory Group of education leaders from Hawaii’s public, private and charter schools in June 2020 to address the unprecedented needs that emerged due to the pandemic.
“ . . . this pandemic is changing Hawai‘i, and every organization needs to reinvent itself in the post-COVID environment. We hope these emergency funds can plug gaps, provide incentives, and fund organizations and schools doing innovative things to both respond to the pandemic and set a course for educational change and reform.” Governor Ige’s remarks to the GEER Advisory Group – June 16, 2020
Following the aspirations outlined in the Blueprint for Public Education, the GEER Advisory Group identified five priority strategies:
- Innovation Grants
Schools, Complexes and educational entities can apply for an Innovation Grant from $100,000 to $500,000. Project selection will occur June 2021 with implementation for SY 2021-2022.
Fact Sheet: GEER Innovation Grant Fact Sheet
- Hawaii Online Portal for Education (HOPE)
A free distance learning academy being developed by teachers for teachers pays teachers a stipend to participate. HOPE is offered by the University of Hawaii and is based on 21st Century curriculum development and instructional designs for engaging distance teaching and learning. This offering is intended for public, private and charter schools.
Hawaii Online Portal for Education Link: Informational Slide Deck
- Next Steps to Your Future
A summer transition for college program sponsored by UH Manoa targeted for public, private and charter high school juniors and seniors who have had their college and career plans impacted by COVID 19.
Next Steps Link: https://nextsteps.hawaii.edu/
- Parent and Family Resilience
The Governor will be convening a parent group to collaborate on innovative ways to address the impact of the pandemic on parents and their families. More information will become available during the Summer of 2021.
- Education Summit – Summer 2022
This Summit will showcase all recipients of GEER funding to share best practice and lessons learned about the innovations implemented. Details will be forthcoming as they become available.
GEER News and Updates
- Hawaii Space Flight Lab and Volcano School participates in Bytemarks Cafe radio show: video
- Governor remarks on 31 recipients for first community of practice meeting: video
- GEER Funding Announcement: Official News Release
- Governor Invests $8.1 million in 31 Innovative Education Programs: Official News Release
- GEER Awardees by Amount: PDF
- GEER Awardees by Name: PDF
Additional Information
GEER News Release: Official News Release
GEER FAQ Sheet: GEER FAQs Sheet
GEER Meeting Slides: GEER Informational Meeting Slides
Housing & Homelessness
Build homes that people can afford, including rentals, to address the needs of those entering the work force. Renovate the state’s public housing facilities. Transition the homeless from sidewalks, beaches, and parks; provide them with the necessary services so they can attain more permanent housing. On O‘ahu, identify state lands near transit stations for housing, employment centers, daycare, senior centers, and community facilities.
Health
Create a 21st century health system that improves access, treatment, and affordability for all Hawai‘i residents, beginning with our children, honoring our elders, and including rural communities on all islands.
Effective, Efficient and Open Government
Restore the public’s trust in government by committing to reforms that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve transparency and accountability.
- Eliminating unfunded liabilities (pension and health benefits)
- Government efficiency (converting to paperless systems, new payroll system, IT dept. overhaul, credit card changes, etc.)
- Rehabilitate old buildings for state use.
Economy
Promote economic diversification and policies that support growth, including attracting more air carriers to Hawai‘i, expanding the U.S. Customs Pre-clearance Program, and upgrading and expanding broadband infrastructure. Recognize and support renewable energy initiatives and the military as crucial pillars of Hawai‘i’s economy.
Energy
Ensure a 100 percent renewable energy future in which we work together as a state, focusing on making solar and other technologies available for all.
Agriculture
Double local food production by 2020; develop water and energy resources to support this effort. Provide loans for farmers and more land for agriculture.
Environment
Foster environmental stewardship from mountain to sea. Protect and more efficiently use our fresh water supply. Provide state lands for public use and enjoyment.
Native Hawaiians
Honor, respect, and promote Native Hawaiian culture and sustainability; Support the Native Hawaiian community’s ongoing efforts for a Hawaiian-based governance structure.
Traffic
Support the development and completion of public transit systems, including bus and rail. Deploy traffic mitigation initiatives to reduce congestion on our roadways.
Taxes
Modernize our tax system, increase efficiency for taxpayers and hold accountable those who do not pay their taxes.
Core Values
Our core values are centered on collaboration and integrity, guiding the state’s new trajectory.