Senate committee advises and consents to five School Facilities Authority nominees amid questions about communication, budgets and project delays

The Senate Committee on Education on April 11 advised and consented to five gubernatorial nominees to the School Facilities Authority (SFA), advancing the panel’s effort to fill the board as members pressed nominees on project priorities, budget limits and communication with the Department of Education (DOE).

The committee voted to confirm Shelly Paiva, Robert Davis, Michael Unobasanu, Damian (Damien) Kim and Jan Iwase to staggered terms on the SFA. Chair Kidani said the recommendation to advise and consent was adopted and each nomination passed with all five committee members voting aye.

Why it matters: The SFA oversees construction and other facility projects affecting K–12 campuses across the state, as well as related initiatives the committee described as SFA’s three “big buckets”: preschool classrooms under Ready Keiki, the Central Maui school project and teacher workforce housing (for example, the Mililani project). Committee members used the confirmation hearing to probe how nominees would balance DOE priorities, legislative funding limits and community input.

Department endorsement and nominees’ backgrounds Keith Hayashi, superintendent of the Department of Education, told the committee the DOE “stands on its written testimony in support” of each nominee and highlighted their experience in school administration, facilities and construction oversight.

Shelly Paiva, a retired community policing team member who testified remotely, said her strength is collaboration. “My strength is to collaborate…