Yesterday, Governor Josh Green, M.D., DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi and Osa Tui Jr., president of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA), announced the successful conclusion of talks leading to a tentative, four-year contract settlement for 13,500 teachers represented by the union.

The proposed four-year contract provides average annual pay raises of 3.4% for teachers to help stabilize Hawai‘i’s public education workforce. It also includes pay raises for instructors, teachers working toward licensure, an increase in teacher recruitment and bonuses for experienced teachers in an effort to increase teacher retention.

Additionally, teachers who traditionally work after-hours to support extracurricular programs such as band, drama and chorus, will receive raises to acknowledge their significant contributions to student enrichment.

Other cost-items include increases in employer contributions to teachers’ health insurance premiums.

The agreement establishes a program to minimize learning-loss during emergency school closures, by allowing schools to continue delivering instruction. The agreement assures improvements in health and safety in the work environment, and provides for creation of work groups to address student needs including Hawaiian Education; Career and Technical Education; movement toward a restorative student discipline model and for English Language Learners (formerly English as a Second Language).

The HSTA will stage statewide, in-person contract ratification voting at various locations on April 26.

Full details of the pending contract settlement can be found on the HSTA website.

 

Photo credit: Office of Governor Josh Green