Gov. David Ige voices support for additional teacher pay

At a press conference on Thursday, Gov. David Ige affirmed his support for additional teacher pay after the state budget, which included $164 million for increasing teacher pay, passed both the House and Senate Tuesday.

Lawmakers appropriated more than $164 million in the state budget to end salary compression for experienced educators, fund shortage differentials, and restore paid job-embedded professional development for all teachers.

“I did support shortage pay differentials, especially for hard-to-staff positions,” Ige said. “We did see success once we made those pay differentials in retaining teachers in hard-to-staff locations, as well as in our hard-to-staff positions special needs teachers as well as our Hawaiian language immersion teachers. So I generally support additional pay for teachers as appropriate and certainly, we’ll be looking at the funding provided by the Legislature and helping to implement it in the best way that we can.”

Since their start in January 2020, shortage differentials have been funded by the Hawaii State Department of Education at the direction of the Hawaii Board of Education, and have proven to decrease teacher shortages in these critical areas.

During the press conference, Ige also spoke about the hundreds of millions in funding lawmakers approved for public school and education improvements, including $200 million to establish more pre-K classrooms throughout the state.

“We definitely support increasing public pre-K and the legislature provided $200 million to expand pre-K for our public schools,” Ige said.

HSTA livestreamed a Q&A with House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke Monday to help answer questions about the state budget and what it could mean for Hawaii educators.

Luke said salary compression will be solved by repricing, a process allowed under the state’s collective bargaining law that members of other unions have benefitted from over the years.

“The governor and the executive can do this through repricing, so that’s the type of language we’re using this year. It should be repricing,” Luke said. “You don’t need a new law. You don’t actually need new legislation to do this, and the governor can do it right away. So we’re making sure that funding is not a burden.”

Luke said that she’s planning to invite members of HSTA’s leadership team when she meets with the governor to assure that he approves of the education funding.

Senate education chair recognizes teachers as Legislature wraps

Thursday marked the close of the legislative session for both the state House and Senate.

During Tuesday’s Senate floor session, Senate Education Committee Chair Michelle Kidani lauded teachers for their commitment and tenacity, especially after a tumultuous past few years.

“Our teachers had to adapt to technology, create new lesson plans, and find new ways to connect with students to make sure our keiki continue to grow and thrive even under the most difficult of circumstances,” the senator said. “I would argue that in many ways, teaching is the most important profession in our society. Teachers impart knowledge, inspire their students to success, and build futures. We are obligated to appreciate them not only this week (for Teacher Appreciation Week), but every day of every week.”

Kidani expressed gratitude to her colleagues for working hard to pass legislation that would allow brighter futures for Hawaii’s keiki, including Senate Bill 2819, which “assures that our teachers are fairly compensated and duly rewarded for the professional development initiatives that ultimately benefit our students.

“We have had a historic opportunity to support our public education system this year, and I believe we have done so while addressing many other critical needs to build a better Hawaii,” she said.

The state Senate and House concluded their 2022 session Thursday and are scheduled to convene for their next annual session in January.

Watch: Senator Kidani’s remarks