The Hawaii State Department of Education has hired a Denver-based education consulting firm to examine teacher salaries in Hawaii as well as the compensation system structure.
The study will:
- Examine teacher data including salaries, experience and education to understand the flow of teachers through the Hawaii workforce,
- Review national best practice recommendations from policy/research centers,
- Compare Hawaii teacher salaries to similar districts across the country, and
- Engage stakeholders by holding listening sessions on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii as well as conducting an online survey.
Recommendations for teacher compensation systems will be reviewed, including salary schedules, incentive pay structures and/or alternative compensation models.
Policy and research centers included in the review include:
- Consortium for Policy Research in Education,
- Federal Teacher Incenter Fund (TIF) Grantees' Plans,
- Linda Darling Hammond/Learning Policy Institute,
- National Center for Education and the Economy (NCEE),
- National Council on Teacher Quality,
- National Education Association, and
- Teacher Advancement Program (TAP).
The study will compare salaries against three cohorts of districts:
- Those of similar size/number of teachers,
- Those with similar cost-of-living costs using the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, and
- Those with other similar factors, such as "attractiveness" or military presence.
Comparison school districts include:
Aurora (Colo.), Boston, Broward (Ft. Lauderdale), Dade (Miami), Denver, Fairfax County (Va. near Washington, D.C.), Gwinnett County (near Atlanta), Jefferson County (Colo.), Jersey City (N.J.), Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Oakland, Orange (Orlando), Palm Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma (Wash.), and Wake County (N.C.).
The listening sessions and subsequent analysis are being conducted by Denver-based education consultants Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, hired by the DOE on a $130,000 contract. The study should be completed and released toward the end of the year.
Two listening sessions will be held at the dates and times below in each location on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island. The first session was held late Monday afternoon at McKinley Community School for Adults and a second conducted at Kapolei High Tuesday.
Following a short introduction, attendees were able to give feedback on how the state’s compensation system should be updated to best address the needs of students, educators, schools and districts. Some participants chose to introduce themselves by name and school where they teach, but others simply spoke without identifying themselves. There is a sign-in sheet, but sign-in is not required.
| Island | Date | Time | Location |
| Maui | Wednesday, Sept. 25 | 4–5:30 p.m. 6–7:30 p.m. |
Baldwin High School (Auditorium) |
| Hawaii Island | Thursday, Sept. 26 | 4–5:30 p.m. 6–7:30 p.m. |
Keaau High School (Cafeteria) |
For those unable to attend a listening session, an online survey will be open from Sept. 23 through Oct. 6 to gather feedback. This survey will also be open to parents and community members.