The Hawaiʻi State Board of Education today unanimously approved its annual performance evaluation of Superintendent Keith Hayashi for fiscal year 2025–26, assigning him a cumulative score of 2.675 on a three-point scale, with 3.0 representing “exceeds expectations.”

The Board evaluated Superintendent Hayashi based on his fulfillment of leadership duties and responsibilities as well as progress toward 11 Board-established goals including student achievement, educational opportunities, workforce development, technology modernization, school facilities and operational accountability. 

The Board assigned five targeted goals a rating of 3.0 for “exceeds,” five targeted goals a rating of 2.0 for “meets,” and one targeted goal a rating of 1.0 for “partially meets.”

During its discussion, Board members recognized progress under Hayashi’s leadership, highlighting the expansion of Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion education, his continued school visits and engagement with school communities, greater school-level involvement in repair processes, and efforts to sustain systemwide improvements.

Among the accomplishments documented in the Superintendent’s self-assessment for 2025-26:

• Student attendance and achievement: Regular attendance improved for the fourth consecutive year, reaching 76.8% statewide and exceeding all four Board-established attendance targets. Mathematics proficiency also increased, although student growth in both language arts and mathematics remained below the Board’s targets.
• Educational opportunities: The Board approved a revised Vision of a Hawaiʻi Public School Graduate, strengthening the Department’s focus on preparing students to be globally competitive and locally committed. Access to Kaiapuni Hawaiian language immersion education expanded, with enrollment increasing 6% and a new statewide priority placement process established.
• Technology and workforce capacity: The Department expanded cybersecurity protections across all schools, advanced modernization of aging technology and human resources systems, and reduced vacancies in its Facilities Development Branch by 32%.
• Facilities accountability: The Department strengthened oversight of capital improvement projects, including closing 244 older projects totaling approximately $170 million, while advancing improvements to repair and maintenance operations.

The Board also received testimony supporting Hayashi’s evaluation from education, business and community leaders, who highlighted his collaborative leadership and efforts to expand opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s students. Testifiers pointed to partnerships that have strengthened college and career pathways, expanded access to student health services, and connected schools with community resources. Among those submitting testimony were University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel, Hawaiian Telcom President Su Shin, and leaders from the Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi and other community organizations.

“I appreciate the Board’s thoughtful evaluation and continued partnership in advancing public education in Hawaiʻi,” Superintendent Hayashi said. “The progress reflected in this evaluation belongs to our system of educators, school leaders and staff who work every day to support our students. We have made meaningful strides in strengthening our schools and addressing longstanding operational challenges, but we also recognize that greater progress is needed, particularly in student achievement. I remain committed to leading with accountability, transparency and a focus on results so that every student has the opportunities and support to learn, grow and succeed.”

The evaluation is conducted annually under the Superintendent’s employment contract and state law. The Board evaluates both the fulfillment of the Superintendent’s duties and responsibilities and progress toward targeted goals aligned with the Hawaiʻi Public Education 2023-2029 Strategic Plan.

Following the evaluation, the Board also unanimously approved a performance-based compensation adjustment of 7%, effective retroactively to July 1, 2026. The adjustment was determined under the performance-based method approved by the Board in Sept. 2026 and in alignment with the superintendent’s current employment contract.