Federal uncertainty stymies many legislative priorities

What’s happening with temporary hazard pay?

I wish I had better news on this one friends. Because of the federal uncertainties, our hazard pay bills were never heard in committee. We are still in dialog with Gov. Josh Green and have communicated with his administration that this issue will not “go away.” Please keep sending us your stories. They really do help to make the case, especially if we need to pivot our efforts to upcoming contract negotiations.

Are we getting an automatic salary step increase?

As this would require additional funding, and with legislators holding on to funding due to the federal shenanigans, the answer is also no. Yet, we were heartened when the House Education Chair Justin Woodson called this policy a “best practice” in a January hearing, and we will continue to bring this back to the Legislature.

Is the teacher housing bill still alive?

This one, for now, is a yes! House Bill 89, the Teacher Housing Assistance Program, has crossed over from the House to the Senate. We’re watching it carefully and will keep you posted when we know more about Senate hearings related to this measure.

We’re thinking about expanding our family – did we get paid family leave passed?

Despite hundreds of advocates testifying in favor of paid family leave legislation, it died again this session. However, there’s hope. Paid family leave has verbal, bipartisan support at the Legislature, but again the concern is appropriating the funds to make it happen. The bill moved farther this session than in any previous session, indicating that it may pass in the future.

Our HSTA Lobby Team is taking a different approach to moving this policy forward; we are working to gather stakeholders to establish a “paid family leave working group.” If created, this group will gather best practices and present them to lawmakers before the next legislative session to think about what our bills could look like next year.

If you are thinking of expanding your family, or have a tiny human on the way, the HSTA still has your back. On March 18, HSTA Member Services and UniServ Directors are hosting a “Baby Shower” where you can learn about the leave options through HIDOE. Register here.

I’ve heard that other states are threatening teacher pensions. Are our pensions safe?

Lucky we live Hawaiʻi; there has been no proposed legislation this session to put our pensions at risk. The HSTA Lobby Team has received verbal commitments from legislative leaders that public employee pensions are and will continue to be protected.

I saw that HSTA’s Hawaiian Education Special Committee attended HSTA’s Lobby Day and met with legislators. Does that mean we’re getting more funding for Hawaiian history, language, culture, and kaiapuni schools?

The Government Relations Committee loved having the Hawaiian Education Special Committee with us on Lobby Day because they shared their stories about the critical importance of protecting culture and language. For now, the House budget bill (HB300) intends to set aside over $2 million for 13 kaiapuni positions for the next two years.

My school is so old that it’s falling apart! Are there bills to fix the older schools this session?

This answer isn’t exactly, “yes, help is coming!” for any particular school, but the House budget bill does intend to set aside “$480 million for improvements and repairs to school facilities statewide.”

There is a bill that we appreciate House Education Committee Vice Chair Trish La Chica putting forward to create a capital improvement database. Did you know that HIDOE has no idea which critical building issues need fixing first? That was wild to learn during testimony! House Bill 636 will help highlight which buildings need modernizations the most, in the entire state, and has moved over to the Senate for consideration. We’ll keep you posted.

Not to be dramatic, but it seems like democracy is falling to fascism and is anyone at state Capitol worried about teaching the next generation about civic engagement?

I’ve gotten this question a few times this session, and there actually is a great vehicle, House Bill 763, from former social studies teacher and now State Rep. Amy Perruso that is moving. HB763 has crossed over to the Senate and would establish a civic education trust fund to support programs benefiting civic education of public school students. It appropriates funds for the expansion of civic education in the public schools and for full-time equivalent permanent civic education resource teacher positions. This bill is important for the future of our state, so we’re keeping a close eye on it.

It’s weird that schools in Hawaiʻi don’t have librarians. Can the Legislature fix that?

Fun fact: State Rep. Jenna Takenouchi is a trained librarian, and she’s put two bills forward this session to help get more HIDOE schools trained librarians, and the funding to keep them.

Less fun fact: Only 28% of HIDOE schools have REAL certified librarians on staff. House Bills 961 and 962 are trying to fix that. Many principals have shared that it’s easier (read: cheaper) to hire an educational assistant to zap the books at the checkout desk, rather than pay for an educator who has an advanced degree in library science. The funding might be tough, given the circumstances this session, but we can keep hope alive.

On the topic of books, I see that lots of states on the continent are banning books. Is there any way we can protect the freedom to read in Hawaiʻi?

Yeah, about that…welp, State Sen. Karl Rhoads did try to stand up against book bans by putting forward Senate Bill 799 – a bill that would have banned book bans and protected schools providing diverse books to students. Several fundamentalist churches, and organizations including Moms for Liberty organized their members to take down this bill.

And it worked. The Senate Education Committee wasn’t willing to advance the bill and deferred it given testimony in support of book banning . So often we feel safe from the drama on the continent, but I do think it’s important that educators understand what we’re up against working under the Trump Administration.

I’m going broke purchasing school supplies for my classroom. Are any bills able to help with that?

I’m delighted to share that this one is a YES! There’s a bill in the Senate, that moved to the House, that funds “teacher-requested” school supplies. HSTA has supported it and we’re excited to see it moving. We’ll keep you posted on Senate Bill 1391.

My students are always late to school because of the messed up bus system. This has been going on for a while. Is the Legislature going to fix the bus problems?

Both House Education Committee Vice Chair Trish La Chica and House Education Committee Member Jeanne Kapela have made fixing the bus issues a priority, and they have worked closely with us. Vice Chair La Chica has a bill – House Bill 682 – to offer alternative vehicles to act as school buses, especially in our rural communities. Kapela has a bill – House Bill 683 – to create a HIDOE bus coordinator position. Can you believe there’s been no one in charge of buses?! #Yikes

I know that certain teachers get differential pay for different reasons. I’m an English Language Learner Educator, am I eligible for extra pay?

There was a bill this session for an EL differential – House Bill 621 – and it was received positively in the House Education Committee. However, it was another bill that died when it didn’t get a hearing in the House Finance Committee, likely because of the state’s desire to save funds right now. The HSTA Lobby Team intends to bring this measure back next session.

I saw Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke on the news saying that we’re going to get more free pre -kindergarten classes. What’s happening with her plan?

This is one of the success stories of this session. House Bill 429 – expanding pre-K classrooms and hiring pre-K teachers – has moved from the House to the Senate with strong support. The HSTA has supported Luke’s quest to add pre-K classrooms around our state, and we’re hopeful this bill keeps building on her work.

My students are constantly asking me for food because they’re hungry at school. I buy what I can for them, but it isn’t sustainable. Isn’t there a bill for universal free school meals?

When teachers were surveyed to create our legislative priorities for this session, the third most voted-on topic was free meals for students. We had a great vehicle moving, Rep. Scot Matayoshi’s House Bill 757 – offering universal free school meals, but it died when the House Finance Committee refused to hear it. And, we know this program will be expensive, and all expensive things aren’t happening this session.