‘We should always be trying to retain our teachers’
Posted: April 23, 2026
State Sen. Donna Kim, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, says she supports automatic step pay increases for teachers, and is concerned that not enough funding is reaching classrooms. She shared her views with Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui during a video talk story session last week.
A bill that would provide automatic annual step increases for public and charter school teachers is working its way through the Legislature and heads to conference committee in the final weeks of this yearʻs session. A provision allowing for annual increases, something that’s the norm in school districts across the country, already exists in HSTA’s contract but has never been funded.
“We are so thankful that you have been supportive of the automatic step increases that we’ve been pushing for. We’ve had language in our contract for so long,” Tui told Kim, and educators are grateful to see progress on the issue this legislative session.
Kim said, “As a long-time serving legislator, these step movements are not new to me. It comes up every year. I’m always surprised that we haven’t adopted that yet. What’s wrong with this? And so as the chair now of the (Education) committee, I’ve taken it upon myself because we need to have priorities.”
“We should always be trying to retain our teachers. And I think and it’s not just necessarily the salaries, but the kinds of duties that they’re now called upon to do and the working conditions of the classrooms. So all of that working together, we need to improve,” Kim added.
Kim also spoke in favor of a bill that will better address the harassment of educational employees. It allows the state Attorney General to assist educational employees who have been subject to harassment or intentional bodily injury in obtaining a temporary restraining order. Previously, HIDOE has said employees needed to obtain that legal help on their own.
“I think it’s important that teachers need to feel secure going into going to work,” Kim said.
Kim supports changes at HTSB, giving emergency hires more time to get licensed
Kim also spoke about the need for changes at the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board.
“For too long we’ve just sort of allowed the teacher standard board, we confirmed, without really holding them accountable. And now with the teacher shortage and all of the complaints of teachers, we want them in the classrooms and they’re having obstacles in getting their license,” Kim said.
“And so because of that, we ended up not confirming several of the returnees and putting on people that we want. We want qualified teachers, there’s no doubt about that. But we also have to keep in mind that we have a shortage and that there are qualified people,” Kim added.
On April 14, the Hawaiʻi State Senate approved the nomination of HSTA Vice President Logan Okita to the HTSB.
Kim and Tui also discussed a proposal to increase the time unlicensed teachers can remain teaching on an emergency basis from the current three-year limit to five years. It requires unlicensed teachers hired on an emergency basis to make continuous, verifiable progress toward meeting licensing requirements.
“It was explained to me that sometimes these teachers come in, they’re not quite sure that they want to go through the process. And so they wait a year or two or, you know, they get pregnant, or things happen in your life, and not everything can be done in the three-year time limit,” Kim said.
Kim said the current policy doesnʻt make sense, because it “is let’s get rid of this teacher who has invested three years and wants to stay, and let’s throw them out and bring in someone brand new and start all the way from scratch again.”
Holding top HIDOE officials accountable: ‘I’m tired of hearing excuses’
Kim and her fellow Education Committee members have sharply questioned the schools superintendent, his deputies and other top HIDOE officials about various issues this year.
“I really challenge the DOE when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do, because I’ve been around so long that I’ve heard all the excuses and I’m tired of hearing the excuses,” Kim said.
Tui told Kim: “We appreciate your focus on accountability and making sure that the public dollars that are getting sent to all of these departments are getting well spent. And you continue to highlight how our monies are not always being well spent.”
“There are so many kids that need special attention or need to be focused on, and yet the dollars are not coming down to the classroom. It’s not coming into the teachers. It’s up in the bureaucracy, which is something that I’ve been very vocal about,” Kim said.
“The superintendent has added two more deputy superintendents. And it’s not just the two deputy superintendents. You have the deputy, the private secretary, you have the executive assistant for each one of them, and then they have staff to go down. So you’re talking about a lot more money that is being funneled on top,” she said.
“So I’m not sure the answer is adding more on top. The answer is adding more on the bottom, or getting resources down into the classrooms and then identifying those students that need the extra help,” Kim said.
Kim and Tui both were educated in Oʻahu’s public schools.
“It all started growing up in Kalihi-Palama, ended up at Likelike Elementary School, and progressed on to Kalākaua Intermediate and then to Farrington High School,” Kim said.
“For me, that’s been what has driven me all my life is street smarts, which is something that you learn growing up in Kalihi and going to public school,” she said.