JCHS PAAC Club News

PAAC included in DOE Budget Cuts

The following e-mail has been forwarded to all PAAC club advisors and members, if you did not receive it please take the time to read it and take action (by September 29th 5 PM). On behalf of Jill Takasaki Canfield, the PAAC Executive Director and Natasha Chappel, High School Program Director, your help would be greatly appreciately:


Dear PAAC Club Advisors, teachers, students, and former travel program participants:
You may have already heard about the cuts to the DOE budget, but if you looked at the detailed list on their website you would have seen that PAAC has been zeroed out! They (Pat Hamamoto/DOE admin) are accepting ‘responses’ to the proposed budget cuts. We need for our PAAC students to speak up - - they will listen to students.
It’s not near our total budget, but it goes a very long way in leveraging private funding. We can’t stress enough how much we need to have that DOE ‘buy-in’ to obtain other outside grants to fund our classes, clubs, conferences, travel programs, scholarship programs, public forums, and international visitor program. We need MORE global education, not less!
Here are some guidelines for your students:
· Need to respond by September 29, Monday
· Go to the DOE website: www.doe.k12.hi.us ; scroll down to Budget - - Comment Form
· It has to be only 1000 characters (less than 150 words)
· It asks for:
Program Name: Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
Number of students impacted: you can use any of these figures – annually 1500 students directly; 1600 students indirectly through the 160 teachers served; in every school district; 68% of public high schools in the state.
Program Effectiveness: here the students should succinctly try to explain why they took the class and/or why they feel that it is worthwhile and how not having it would impact them. It could be to a) make enough credits to graduate b) interested in current events/issues that are not a part of regular classes c) enjoy the opportunities that are made available by PAAC like conferences, travel and scholarships. Personal and specificity is good.
Names OPTIONAL: It does not ask for names but students should include their name and school.
Hearing from teachers and parents as well, can make a big difference too! So, if you know of anyone or you yourself would like to write something, please….it would be much appreciated!
Thanks so much for your help!
Jill
Jill Takasaki Canfield
Executive Director
Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
1601 East-West Road, 4th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96848-1601
Tel: (808) 944-7781
Fax: (808) 944-7785
Email: ed@paachawaii.org
Web: www.paachawaii.org

Natasha Chappel
High School Program Director
Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
1601 East-West Road, 4th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96848-1601
808-944-7759
www.paachawaii.org

posted by PAAC at JCHS @ 10:30 PM