Hawaii Joint Venture

The Hawaii Joint Venture Education Forum (JVEF) is a cooperative venture between the military community in Hawaii and the Hawaii Department of Education. The 21-member organization was formed to facilitate active military participation in Hawaii's public education to advance the military community's responsibility in the pursuit of quality education for Hawaii's children. The committee is co-chaired by the Hawaii Superintendent of Education Dr. Patricia Hamamoto and USPACOM/J1 Colonel Joseph Pedone.

For more information regarding JVEF contact Cherise Imai, DoEd Military Liaison, (808) 271-5724, cherise_imai@notes.k12.hi.us.

Mission

To facilitate interaction between the military community and Hawaii DoEd, enhancing and maintaining open dialog on education concerns and facilitating educational support of all children.

To assist Hawaii DoEd in their understanding and support of the needs of military children and families (i.e. transition challenges).

Goal

Maintain a long-term partnership between the education and military communities through: enhancing dialog, sharing ideas and information, pursuing excellence in education, and changing perceptions.

Objectives

  1. Institutionalize long-term partnership between the military and Hawaii DoEd to address and resolve common education issues.
  2. Increase military and local community participation and role in supporting high quality education in Hawaii's public schools.
  3. Assist Hawaii DoEd in understanding the needs of military children as well as their families.
  4. Review related issues on Impact Aid, financial assistance and school budgets.
  5. Advocate increased financial and other resources to enhance quality education.
  6. Share existing data and develop survey instruments, when necessary, to collect data, analyze information and determine and implement actions to improve quality of education and correcting inaccurate perceptions.
  7. Address education as a quality of life concern that effects military readiness, family and community.
  8. Provide a process to address and resolve educational issues, and to effectively disseminate information to the various constituencies.

Top Five Priorities

  1. Align resources and authority with responsibility. Secure fiscal independence for educational funding within the State budget.
  2. Develop and implement procedures to ease transition of military children to and from Hawaii. Provide information and training for educators regarding needs and conditions of military children, families and life.
  3. To work in partnership with the State in improving the delivery of education for all children. Commitment to build positive and lasting school partnerships with Hawaii that encourages all youth to achieve excellence in education, healthy lifestyles, and civic responsibility. Assessment of school facilities, development of yearly repair/upgrade improvement plan.
  4. Standard-Based Learning; Quality Student Support (CSSS); Professionalism; Focused/Sustained Action; Coordinated Team Work; and Responsive System. To promote standards-based reform in all school and to assist the schools in building a comprehensive student support system for learning.
  5. Increase military involvement in Hawaii education by placing a military representative position on the Board of Education.