The panel approves a ʻbest practice internationally and nationally’
Posted: March 9, 2026
The state House Finance Committee approved a measure on March 3 that would fund annual step salary hikes for public and charter school teachers, a provision that has been in the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association contract for years but has never been funded.
Annual step increases are the norm in most school districts across the nation, and an in-depth, independent study of Hawaiʻi’s teacher compensation system, completed last fall, recommended that the employer consider funding automatic step increases for teachers.
The HSTA is extremely grateful to House Finance Chair Chris Todd and the committee’s vice chair, Jenna Takenouchi, for recommending passage of the bill, which was approved by the committee early Tuesday evening. The proposal next goes to the Senate, where it will be assigned to committees and must pass through a new round of public hearings. The measure has a long way to go before final legislative approval, setting it up to possibly be signed into law by the governor.
The committee added language providing teacher retention bonuses to educators who worked between March 4, 2020, and March 25, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new committee language calls for the retention bonuses of unspecified amounts to be paid in four equal installments, with the first no later than June 30, 2028. That proposal would address HSTA’s request for hazard payments to educators who worked during the pandemic.
On the issue of automatic step increases, Sarah Milianta-Laffin, a teacher at ʻIlima Intermediate and HSTA’s teacher lobbyist this legislative session, told the committee hearing March 3, “On behalf of HSTA, we are super excited that you’re hearing this bill today, because this is a priority for our members. Over 98% of teachers think this should be something that we already have.”
“When you look at automatic step increases, this is best practice internationally and nationally for how teachers are rewarded for our years of service,” Laffin said.
Laffin also told state representatives that, when adjusted for Hawaiʻiʻs high cost of living, public and charter school teachers in the islands are among the lowest-paid in the nation.
Corey Roselee, a social studies teacher at Campbell High and former HSTA president, also testified during the hearing, calling the proposal “the most important bill when it comes to fixing the teacher shortage crisis in Hawaiʻi. For too long, teachers’ pay in Hawai’i has not increased every single year, and in the past, we’ve had a problem where teachers with 10 years of different experience are getting paid the same thing.”
The Legislature took a great step in 2022 to address past problems by addressing compression, Rosenlee told lawmakers.
“The problem is, it didn’t do anything about it going forward. So that means, my fear is that every 10 years, are we going to have to go back to the Legislature to fix all the problems of the past? Instead, what I hope is that this Legislature will take the great step of fixing this problem to ensure…” educators can know in advance how much money they will make and what types of raises they will earn year after year,” Rosenlee added.
Misella Tomita is a special education teacher at the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind.
In her testimony on the measure, she said, “I have seen firsthand how challenging it is to recruit and retain qualified educators in our state. Hawaii’s high cost of living makes it difficult for teachers to stay long-term, and on isolated islands, it’s even harder to attract and retain certified teachers. This bill acknowledges these challenges and takes an important step toward fairly compensating teachers for their experience and commitment.”
John Fitzpatrick, who teaches Marine Science, Biology, and AP Biology at Kūlanihākoʻi High on Maui, submitted testimony that said, “We are competing in a national market. When we cannot promise consistent salary growth, we lose talent. This turnover has devastating effects on our schools. Vacancies mean students are often taught by long-term substitutes who may lack subject-specific certification.”
“I currently teach science to 9th graders. Recently, during a lab that required calculating averages, I realized many students didn’t know how to do the math—a skill usually mastered in elementary school. This gap exists because they have lacked consistent, qualified teachers in their earlier years,” Fitzpatrick added.
On March 2, the Senate Ways and Means Committee passed the Senate version of the proposal. Early last month, the Senate Education and Labor Committees approved SB 2391 with technical amendments suggested by the state Attorney General’s office.