If ever there was a time to contribute ideas on how to shape the future of Hawaii’s public education system, it’s now. Under the latest iteration of federal educational mandates — Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) — local control is a main thrust, steering clear of a one-size-fits-all approach.

All stakeholders must come to the table in the coming weeks and months to voice their suggestions on how to improve the state’s public schools. Nearly 1,000 people did just that Saturday during an education summit at the Hawaii Convention Center, but much more input and work is needed as the state’s ESSA plan must be ready next spring in order for implementation in the 2017-18 school year.

Gov. David Ige, who has made education a top priority, appointed a 19-member advisory team that is expected to come up with a blueprint, so to speak, for the state’s educational system. That team, which is planning town hall forums, is expected to craft recommendations for the state Department of Education (DOE) and the policy-making Board of Education (BOE) as it pulls together its ESSA plan.

While it might seem as though there are too many cooks in the cafeteria, DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi contends the efforts of all three entities are complementary.

The governor’s advisory team is looking at education more broadly while the DOE and BOE are creating a three- to five-year plan. We urge all players to work toward the common goal of producing well-rounded, high-achieving students.

At the summit, Ige said the state needs to “design a system that empowers those closest to the children to make decisions about how resources can best be used for them.” However, developing that type of system is trickier for Hawaii’s statewide system, which does not incorporate local school boards, as in other states.

Matayoshi said the state’s ESSA system will likely give school-complex areas, broken down geographically, more options on what they would like to focus on. That will be a topic of discussion today during a DOE meeting with principals.

Although standards should not vary from one region to the next, the teaching methods and areas of academic focus could differ. So it’s imperative that the DOE take a critical look at the unique needs of each complex area.

The state had already received a waiver from No Child Left Behind, the previous congressional act that created the educational framework ESSA is replacing. Under that waiver, Hawaii put into place its school performance system known as Strive HI, encompassing the Smarter Balanced Assessments — and those elements aren’t expected to change drastically.

With Strive HI, the state is ahead of the game to some degree where ESSA is concerned.

Still, it’s an optimal time to iron out some of the more contentious issues that have pitted the state’s teachers against administrators, including teacher evaluations and testing.

While many teachers have criticized the school system’s emphasis on standardized testing, reducing the rigor in that area would be a mistake. Test scores are a reliable measure of how students, their schools and their districts are faring, and a necessary tool.

In easing the top-down system that has existed in the state’s public schools, attention must remain fixed on the needs of — and impacts on — students, educators and the community.

The education department seems to more aggressive in its outreach, which includes recent focus groups with teachers, and that’s a good thing.

What came out of those focus groups is that teachers would like to see a more well-rounded curriculum that incorporates, among other things, Hawaiian language and culture, Matayoshi said. Focus group participants also emphasized the importance of teachers to be caring and supportive, and for schools to foster not just academic growth, but social, emotional and physical growth as well, she said.

Incorporating these ideas will involve community partnerships, and increasing community engagement. “I think it’s about the community believing in the potential” of the public school system, Matayoshi said.

After recent years of conflict over top-down dictates and goals, education reform seems to be evolving more collaboratively. ESSA provides Hawaii a prime opportunity to recreate a system where schools and their districts can expect high achievement while focusing on the unique needs of their student populations. It’s time for all hands on deck to help chart the future course of public education, and to help students be successful.