Rather than creating a specific tax for additional education funding, Department of Education administrative costs could be reduced while improving student achievement as well as accommodating class and individual progress.

Ray L’Heureux and Randall Roth said that the lack of a state education agency to crack down on a local agency in Hawaii (while existing in other states) is a serious transparency and accountability weakness (“School tax,” Star-Advertiser, Insight, Sept. 16). A public discussion is warranted on decentralizing the DOE by island to encourage transparency and fiscal control.

To reduce costs while raising standards, consideration should be given to Khan Academy, a premier internet model for teaching, learning and administration. The academy’s mission is “to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere” and is supported by philanthropists and partners like Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Google, The Walt Disney Company, Bank of America, Oracle, the College Board and more.

With its primary focus on K-12, Khan Academy adeptly promotes a self-learning-for-life philosophy to its students — even for seniors interested in health topics or computer languages.

Ed Ige

Kaneohe

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