Aloha Aina = Decentralize the Hawaii Department of Education We call on the immediate resignation of State Superintendent, Kathryn Matayoshi, for (the people’s opinion) poor leadership qualities and for harnessing a toxic organizational culture Failed Impetus of Hawai'i's State Government I'm an Independent constituent who is an expert in applied systemic theory. With clear conscious, the State of Hawai’i’s government is imperiling due to the mismanaged structure of its Department of Education. The Department of Education accounts for about half of the State’s budget. This means its equivalent in size to the Executive Branch and to some extent the State’s Superintendent is as powerful as the governor. As an individual who has worked in Special Education, some of my colleagues are tired of legislators probing the lack of funds available to this department. Some of my colleagues at HSTA (teachers and principals) are tired of the distress that centralized education yields. This yield indicates there are too many managers and not enough front line workforce employees; thus, the deficiency of educational services. Furthermore, DAGS lacks the capital for improvements. Children shouldn't have to sit in classrooms with 30 or more students in decaying environments. This legislative session the people call for decentralization of the Department of Education and want to empower their Complex Area Superintendents, as well as their communities to have the resources to provide Hawai’i’s children with a high caliber of education in a healthy platform. We call on the immediate resignation of State Superintendent, Kathryn Matayoshi, for (the people’s opinion) poor leadership and for harnessing a toxic organizational culture. This restructure will do several things. First, vet toxicity out of the Department of Education with too many managers and provide DAGS with capital improvement equity to provide harmonious workplaces and high quality learning environments. Furthermore, this initiative will increase the number of front line employees, such as more teachers (help with attrition), empower Complex Area Superintendents, and communities to take ownership of their students’ learning. This will put a little common sense back into the Department of Education by not putting schools in toxic areas, such as where Monsanto and DuPont operate. True leadership would understand the profound impacts this has for children and State employees or at least be the necessary change to secure their safety.

I am Now on C.P.S worker 6 maybe 8, not a one of them has done a thing to serve and protect my grandson. His counselor has called and was told nothing further will be done on this case, ok then please close it so we can move on to another that God willing, can and will help him.

Getting a B in a class could potentially jeopardize an entire high school "career", and therefore in a class where only a few have A's a compensation is warranted. ***EDIT: Due to some email responses, we are making a new request: Please curve the test grades, final exam, or other compensation to raise people's semester averages.

The DONUT Hole has cost those on PLAN D with medicare (which is their PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE ) MILLIONS --- each that is in the donut hole can BE CAUSED to spend their retirement ...they often split pills or shorten dosages to TRY and make it to the end of the year as I have had to do . Over the past it has cost me over 1,500 dollars . It ends up in the wallets of WALL STREET !

Niagara Bottling Co.'s proposal to build a 475,000-square foot plant to bottle up to 1.75 million gallons of water from Kingston's Cooper Lake Reservoir threatens the integrity and sustainability of our public water supply, one of our most precious natural resources. The operations of the plant also pose a potential threat to the health and safety of our climate and other aspects of our environment. Given the complexity and wide-reaching potential impacts of this proposed project, it is crucial that the public be given adequate time to review and provide input on Niagara's plan, as well as several public hearings at which to pose questions to experts, town officials and representatives from Niagara.

Coral reefs are vitally important for the progression of our society into the future, and for the betterment of all peoples who live near, or is affected by, the sea. Coral reefs provide us with protection from natural disasters, an abundant and diverse amount of food, and an untold amount of new, life saving drugs unknown to science. And that is only scratching the surface of the beneficial uses of coral reefs to humans. Not only are coral reefs beneficial to humans, but also to the abundant amount of life that this precious ecosystem maintains. Coral reef ecosystems have the highest biodiversity of all ecosystems in the world; even rainforests do not contain the vast amounts of species that coral reefs house. Hundreds of thousands of species call this ecosystem home, and many have yet to be discovered. However, this ecosystem is being threatened by climate change and ocean acidification. About 60% of coral reefs are being threatened today, and by 2050 that number is set to increase to 100% of all reefs worldwide. It is our responsibility, as the most technologically advanced society, to protect and preserve these fascinating and advantageous ecosystems. We must get as many people educated about how climate change is affecting the very way we live, and what they can do about it. The purpose of this petition is not to change or create a new law or enact new regulations, although that would be a beneficial outcome, but to help spread the word of our deteriorating biosphere. Please sign our petition and educate everyone around the world to be smarter about how they interact with the world around them.

The SUNY Ulster Environmental Club as well as many members of the surrounding community do not agree with SUNY Ulster Community College's choice in partnering with Niagara Bottling Co. through the Start-Up NY program. Niagara is one of the largest water bottling companies in the world. Through the Start- Up NY program, this company would be eligible for tax exemptions for up to 10 years. In return SUNY Ulster would receive internships and ensured jobs for graduating students. Niagara wants to build a bottling facility that will process at least 1 million gallons per day (MGD) of water from Kingston's water supply at Cooper Lake in Woodstock, using over 25% of its capacity. According to SaveCooperLake.org “With the City of Kingston averaging 3.9 MGD and the Town of Ulster averaging .7 MGD - that's 4.6 MGD . Add in .2 MGD for the new medical complex across from Adams and you get 4.8 MGD. With the new demand from Niagara, the total demand equals 6.55 MGD, which doesn't even account for the .5 MGD guaranteed as a reserve for Woodstock, which brings the total to 7.05 MGD, an excess of 1.05 MGD, or 17% in excess of Safe Yield.” Many organizations within the Hudson valley such as Riverkeeper, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Food and Water Watch, Espous Creek Conservancy, Woodstock Land Conservancy, Savecooperlake.org and KingstonCitizens.org along with the SUNY Ulster Environmental Club feel that this partnership further jeopardizes the sanctity of the water supply at Cooper Lake by increasing the likelihood of Niagara entering the Ulster County. Through SUNY Ulster's interactions with the Start-Up NY program, it has the capability to aid in the introduction of sustainable jobs and companies, as well as the potential to introduce unsustainable or environmentally harmful companies to the local area. Support SUNY Ulster in making sustainable business choices through its involvement with Start-Up NY, as well as encourage a stable, long-living community built around a healthy environment. Please sign this petition to show that the communities within Ulster County do not support this partnership.

The rich already run roughshod over the voters thanks to Citizens United and other Supreme Court decisions favoring Big Money and gutting democracy. And yet President Obama says he’ll sign a budget bill that increases TEN-FOLD the amount one person can donate to a political party during an election! The new ceiling would be $1.5 million, allowing the wealthy few to buy vast amounts of so-called "speech" –and power over elections and the government-- regular Americans cannot afford. Sign the petition strongly urging President Barack Obama TO VETO this and any other budget deal that increases the already outrageous and anti-democracy power of wealthy donors.

I am from Puerto Rico. All my countrymen and women alike; despite our different political differences want him released. It is time that he comes home.

Thousands of workers who maintain NYC public schools are doing the same work as others, but for nearly a third less. This is unfair and must be addressed. NYC must invest in ALL those who make our schools clean and safe environments for our children's learning.

Digitally inspired acts of hatred and violence like racism, hate crimes, sexual exploitation, cyber bullying, and body dysmorphia (among others) have had a powerful negative impact on our culture for the past 20 years, in part because younger generations feel more involved in the digital world than the real world. It's time to change that, by implementing a new national educational policy where volunteer hours are weighted equally with SAT scores/other factors on college applications. Social media would be the primary, positive platform where youth can fulfill their mandatory quota, raise awareness about real-world issues, and help turn around all these negative headlines.

my husband who is in prison at this moment was informed about this he is a frist time offender and is wrongly convicted innocent