The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but in some manners can also be thought of as analogous to the state education agencies of other states. As the official state education agency, the Hawaii State Department of Education oversees all 283 public schools and charter schools and over 13,000 teachers in the State of Hawaii. It serves approximately 185,000 students annually. The HIDOE is currently headed by Superintendent Keith Hayashi (since July 1, 2022). The department is headquartered in the Queen Liliuokalani Building in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Public schools in Hawaii take their money from the state general fund and not from property taxes. History Kamehameha III established Hawaii's first public education system on October 15, 1840. This makes the Hawaii State Department of Education the oldest school system in the US west of the Mississippi River, and the only system established by a sovereign monarch. This date denotes when the constitution came into effect, codifying the new ministry of education. The regent of Kamehameha III, Queen Emma, had ordered the establishment of free public schools in all districts in 1834 and this was done by 1836. Board of Education The Board of Education members are appointed by the Governor of Hawaii and must be confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate. This is in contrast to most other school districts in the United States which are directly elected. Members are appointed for three-year terms for a maximum of three terms. The school district has the following positions in its Board of Education. Positions: Board First Vice Chairperson Board Second Vice Chairperson At-large positions: Oahu-at-Large: 5 positions District positions Central District (Oahu) Hawaii District Honolulu District (Oahu) Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex Area Kauai District Leeward District (Oahu) done Maui District Windward District (Oahu) The Board also has a student member and a military liaison. The Board of Education is empowered by the State Constitution (Article X, Section 3 ) to formulate statewide education policy. The Board also has the power to appoint the Superintendent of Education as the chief executive officer of the system. The Superintendent reports to and can be terminated by the Board. The State Department of