Non-tenured teachers can forfeit their probationary status if they aren’t on campus that first day
Posted: May 28, 2026
Probationary and all non-tenured Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) employees MUST report back on the first day of next school year for teachers on Tuesday, July 28, or risk losing their probationary status. Those non-tenured teachers (including emergency hires) who either don’t report to their worksite on the first day for teachers or are not on pre-approved paid leave that day may forfeit their probationary step and the accrued compensation and benefits associated with it, including sick leave.
Probationary teachers are on Limited Term Appointment (LTA) agreements that reset every year until they reach tenure status. Until that time, the first day of each school year resets the agreement. Without that reset, the agreement is nullified, and a new LTA agreement is required. Tenure is not earned until reporting for work on the first working day of the semester without a break in service after completing probation.
If you are traveling over the summer, make sure you are back in Hawaiʻi and at your worksite on Tuesday, July 28. There have been cases of educators whose return flights were delayed, leaving them unable to report to school on the first day and resulting in the loss of their probationary status. Please plan accordingly.
For most HIDOE teachers, probationary status lasts for six semesters (typically three school years). To earn tenure, teachers must successfully complete probation and receive at least two consecutive annual evaluation ratings of effective or better in their final two years, as measured by HIDOE’s Educator Effectiveness System (EES).
Exceptions apply for the following:
- National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT): The probationary period is reduced to two semesters, but still requires reporting to work on the first working day of the next semester.
- Emergency hires/unlicensed teachers: Time spent as an emergency hire does not count toward probation; their 3-year clock begins only after they earn a degree from a State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) and obtain a Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) license.