On The Issues

As the former chair of the Hawaiʻi State Senate Committee on Higher Education, Kai prioritized freezing tuition rates at the University of Hawaiʻi system; and was also an outspoken advocate for curtailing university administration inefficiencies and mismanagement of funds. He supports removing the barriers that prevent millions of Americans from obtaining a degree in higher education by increasing federal financial aid, incentivizing the conversion to open educational resources, eliminating application fees and offering debt-forgiveness for graduates. Kai supports debt free college at America's public universities and would advocate for a national vocational program that will allow all high school graduates to attend community college for vocational and skills training, especially for those that come from economically disadvantaged communities.

As a product of Hawaii's public education system and a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a degree in education, Kai knows the value that a quality P-20 education can have on someone's life. Kai supports 100% free universal preschool for all children. He also supports an increase in teacher pay and benefits as well as teacher recruitment and incentives. Kai understands the need to invest in our aging public schools by building and remodeling 21^st century schools that provide a quality teaching and learning environment for both our students and teachers. Kai also supports healthy meals in school cafeterias across the nation modeled after Hawaii's ʻĀina Pono — farm-to-school program. He believes that no child should go hungry throughout the school day and that every child at our public schools should get free breakfast, lunch and a healthy snack each and every day.