About 500 teachers qualify for payments ranging from $2,500 to $8,000 in June
Updated: May 2, 2024
The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) Friday announced it will implement one-time shortage differentials for career technical education (CTE) teachers working in HIDOE schools during the 2023–2024 school year.
The Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association (HSTA) consulted with the employer regarding the implementation of these differentials, which were made possible during the 2023 Legislative session when state lawmakers approved funding for CTE teacher differentials for the 2023–2024 school year.
The appropriation aimed to address Hawaiʻi’s shortage and lack of qualified teachers in CTE areas. Information shared with HSTA by the HIDOE reflects that approximately half of the CTE courses taught throughout HIDOE schools are not assigned teachers licensed to teach that particular CTE pathway.
The funding provides for a one-time payment in the June 5, 2024, paycheck for those teachers who qualify. It is HSTA’s understanding that the HIDOE will seek ways to secure funding to continue such a shortage differential in subsequent school years.
To qualify for the shortage differential, HIDOE teachers who teach qualifying courses and meet qualifying criteria, including proper CTE licensure or Hawaiʻi-qualified (HQ) status, will receive a shortage differential in amounts ranging from $2,500 to $8,000. The criteria for qualification can be found in the HIDOE memo.
HSTA is awaiting the final list of teachers who qualify, but based on our consultation with the HIDOE, we estimate that 500 teachers will qualify for this one-time payment. Teachers who qualify should start to see personnel action forms (Form 5) in their school Gmail accounts in the coming weeks, with the actual payment showing up in the June 5 paycheck.
Lastly, we have recently received some inquiries regarding special education, kaiapuni (Hawaiian language immersion), and geographic hard-to-staff shortage differentials in school year 2024–2025. The HSTA fully expects the HIDOE to continue to offer those shortage differentials next school year in compliance with the Board of Education directives on these differentials from the summer of 2020. As soon as the HIDOE issues a memo, HSTA will share it. HSTA also notes that the differentials were included in the job postings for this year’s transfer postings.
Should you have any questions regarding the CTE shortage differential, please contact Melissa Huntley, a personnel specialist with HIDOE’s Teacher Recruitment Unit, at (808) 441-8437 or via email at melissa.huntley@k12.hi.us. Should you still have questions or need assistance, please contact HSTA by submitting a form here.
The 2023 Legislature did not provide separate funding for public charter schools to implement a CTE shortage differential. Similar to other shortage differentials, your charter school can consult with the HSTA should it want to implement one, however, it is responsible for securing the funding necessary to implement the additional pay for the shortage area.