Compression fix implementation not expected until 2nd quarter at earliest
Posted: September 23, 2022
The Hawaii State Teacher Association met with Hawaii State Department of Education officials Wednesday to work on various details to begin pay adjustments for thousands of teachers affected by compression.
Teachers who will see pay adjustments under the state’s plan to end salary compression may have to wait a couple of months for that money to show up in their paychecks. Any pay increase, which should begin in the second quarter at the earliest, will be retroactive to the beginning of this school year.
Officials from various HIDOE offices are working on a compression pay implementation plan, and HSTA looks forward to another meeting about compression with the HIDOE next week. In addition, staff from the state’s Budget and Finance as well as Human Resources Development departments have been working on reviewing the data and meeting regarding implementation.
Fixing compression is a complex situation that requires HIDOE to make individual repricing calculations for the salaries of nearly 9,000 teachers. Since the governor signed the state budget into law in early July, clearing the way for the compression fix, HSTA has been working closely with the department on various service credit issues, such as for those who took unpaid maternity leave over the years, went on other leaves without pay, took leaves for extended illnesses, those who worked in both public charter schools and for HIDOE, or for those who are temporarily moved to administrative positions.
Read HSTA’s updated compression FAQs, which includes a chart that shows what pay step educators should be on based on years of service.
Before compression raises can be approved, the Office of Collective Bargaining and the Budget and Finance Department need to review the compression fix implementation plan. They will then brief Gov. Ige, who supports ending compression but still must sign off on the plan, releasing the funds.
At the same time, the Board of Education also needs to approve any implementation plan. After final approval, the employer must process thousands of personnel action forms and make the necessary payroll changes.
The BOE’s next regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20, but it is unclear when HIDOE’s proposal will be ready for presentation to the board. The education department will present its budget to the Board of Education soon with accurate cost numbers to fund compression.
WATCH: HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr. explains how compression affected HSTA members
Right now, about 500 HSTA members are at the top of the salary scale, Step 14B. But when compression is fixed, another 2,500 additional veteran teachers who’ve been stuck in the middle of the salary scale or compressed for years, will move to the top salary step.
Contract negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement will begin this fall. HSTA plans to pursue a variety of improvements to salary and benefits, including across-the-board pay raises, step movements, options for educators to reclassify beyond Class VII, and other means of compensation.