Becky Pringle says about island teachers: ‘I saw how much educators love their kids’
Posted: April 2, 2026
National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle visited educators on Maui, met students and teachers at Pūʻōhala School and called on lawmakers at the State Capitol during a visit to the islands this week.
She began her trip to Maui in Lahaina on Tuesday morning, surveying the stark, oceanfront property left behind after the Maui wildfires destroyed King Kamehameha III Elementary in August of 2023.
Accompanied by HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr., HSTA Maui Chapter President Ashley Olson, HSTA Human and Civil Rights Chair Jodi Kunimitsu and HSTA Executive Director Andrea Eshelman, Pringle then visited King Kamehameha IIIʻs temporary campus.
Renee Gilsdorf, who has served as King Kamehameha III’s librarian since 2022, told Pringle that roughly 90% of the books, furniture, and materials in the library have been donated to the school in the aftermath of the wildfires.
“I get to go to all these nooks and crannies, to Kīhei and Makawao, and Pukalani and everywhere, and meet people, and they just, they just give me stuff. You know? And they just, they’re just incredible. The community literally built this library,” Gilsdorf told Pringle.
“On Facebook Marketplace, if somebody’s had a pile of books listed for sale for three or four weeks, I message them and say, ‘Hey, I’m the librarian at Kamehameha the third. Any chance you have remaining books and you’d like to donate?’ And nine times out of 10, they say, ‘Yes.’ Nine times out of 10, I get there, and they say, ‘Do you need a chair? Do you want more books?’” Gilsdorf added.
Shellsea Gruber, a 5th-grade teacher at the school, said, ““Everybody just pulled together, and did their best to support each other and get these kids to where they need to be.”
Pringle also visited with teachers at Lahainaluna High and attended an HSTA Your Voice, Our Union listening session to hear from Maui Chapter members about their hopes for improvements to their union contract that expires on July 1, 2027.
Pringle, a former middle school science teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience whose term as NEA president comes to a close this fall, said during her Maui visit, “I saw how much they love our kids, how much they love their communities. It’s not just resilience, it’s that. But seeing them embrace the fullness of their responsibilities, to take care of that whole child, which means also taking care of the whole family and teaching and nurturing. It’s just incredible.”
“I’m so proud to call myself a teacher when I get to see folks like this who have been through so much themselves, personally, their families. But here they are, loving their students and getting them what they need. Blowing through the obstacles every day,” Pringle said.
Then, on Wednesday, Pringle began her day early, appearing on Hawaiʻi News Now’s Sunrise program to discuss the effects of the federal immigration crackdown on students and educators.
Later Wednesday morning, Pringle traveled to Pūʻōhala School in Kāneʻohe, which has roughly 200 students from kindergarten to 12th grade in its kaiapuni, or Hawaiian immersion, program.
Students from the school welcomed Pringle and HSTA governance leaders with a series of opening protocol Hawaiian chants, Hawaiian songs, and hula.
Kalae Akioka, a special education teacher at Pūʻōhala, said, “I think that it’s an awesome opportunity to showcase what kaipuni does and how unique of a place Hawaiʻi is through programs like ours.”
“When you talk about innovation and cultural revitalization, I think that there’s no better way to show it than kaiapuni,” added Akioka, who chairs HSTA’s Hawaiian Education Committee.
Late Wednesday morning, Pringle visited the State Capitol with Tui and HSTA’s teacher lobbyist, ʻIlima Intermediate teacher Sarah “Mili” Milianta-Laffin, to meet with State Senate Education Chair Donna Kim and State House Education Chair Justin Woodson.
Early Wednesday evening, Pringle spent more than two hours meeting with nearly 30 HSTA members at the union’s Red Hill headquarters. Read more about that visit here.