"Never let it be said that Kathryn Matayoshi shrinks from a challenge. After only six months with the state Department of Education, the Hilo native finds herself leading the nation's 10th-largest school district during a painful cost-cutting era."
The 52-year-old attorney was catapulted into the top job by the abrupt retirement of Pat Hamamoto, who had recruited her as deputy superintendent last July from the Hawaii Business Roundtable, where she was executive director.
As deputy, Matayoshi spearheaded the DOE's pending request for highly competitive federal education grants known as "Race to the Top." Now, as interim superintendent, she oversees the statewide public school system — 258 schools serving 172,000 students — as it copes with Furlough Fridays that have slashed class time and faces more budget cuts over the next two years that could force layoffs and school closures.