The Senate approved seven appointees to the Hawaii Board of Education on Wednesday morning, including veteran legislator Roy Takumi as the new board chair.

The volunteer board, consisting of nine voting members, is responsible for selecting the Hawaii Department of Education’s superintendent and overseeing education policies for nearly 300 schools across the state. Of the seven members confirmed on Wednesday, four will be joining the board for the first time. A fifth member has not served on the board since 2013.

Takumi will begin serving as board chair immediately. His predecessor, Warren Haruki, resigned in March — nine months into his term as chair.

The other new members of the board will begin their terms in July.

“As we confirm these nominees today, we reconfirm our commitment to providing Hawaii’s public school students with access to quality education,” Michelle Kidani, chair of the Senate Education Committee, said during Wednesday’s floor session.

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.