Leilehua Grad Leads Charter Funding Fight
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
Reshela “Resh” DuPuis’ top priority as the new executive director of the Charter School Administrative Office is to do what it takes to best serve the schools.
A graduate of Leilehua High School, she said her first name means “little historian, or story teller,” and she’s glad to be able to take the story of the charter schools’ needs to lawmakers who hold the purse strings.
“I have a really good feeling that there will be some support for operational funding,” she said, “and there’s a good chance for movement forward on facilities.” The problem, she explained, is that charter schools have been asking for the same funding and facilities that other public schools have, when their per-pupil spending is less than that of regular public school students. Charter schools are public schools, she emphasized.
She praises her predecessor, Mauna Lei Love, for what she achieved in 15 months as interim director.“She was amazing. She has the heart and the commitment. There were lots of challenges and stress, and she did ho’oponopono with lots of agencies and the schools. She went through an enormous transition when control went from the Board of Education to the Charter School Review Panel.
“I’m very grateful she left the situation in a much better place than it was when she got here. She did a lot of healing. I’m honored to continue with the great work she did.”
DuPuis works with one part-time and six full-time employees who oversee the needs of 30 public charter schools. “Coming into this office, I’ve been delighted with the committed, skilled and dedicated people who work here,” she said. “I feel this is a true ohana.”
In the spirit of ohana and inclusion, she encourages Central Oahu residents to visit the downtown office to learn more about the schools. For more stories about charter schools, call her at 586-3775 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A graduate of the universities of Hawaii and Michigan, DuPuis worked as a college professor for 12 years in Michigan and Pennsylvania. She returned to Hawaii in 2001 and became involved with Native Hawaiian issues, working for Alu Like, OHA (as director of education) and the Kamehameha Schools Na Lau Lama project.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
