It now advances to a vote of the full State Senate
Posted: March 2, 2026
A proposal to establish annual step salary hikes for public and charter school teachers passed a key hurdle Monday when the state Senate Ways and Means Committee approved the measure, setting it up for a vote of the full State Senate and then crossing over to the State House for further committee hearings.
Annual step increases are the norm in most school districts across the nation and are already written into the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association’s contract, but have just never been funded. 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.
HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr., said, “We are so thankful to Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz for recommending his committee approve this important bill that honors the service of educators across Hawaiʻi.”
Automatic step increases about stability, recognizing value of experienced educators
Miguel Loayza, a teacher at Farrington High, wrote in his testimony, “As a public school educator serving students and families in our community, I witness firsthand the financial realities teachers face in Hawaiʻi. The cost of living in our state — including housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare — continues to rise at a pace that far exceeds salary growth.”
“Our students deserve stable, experienced, and committed educators. Supporting automatic step increases is a concrete step toward improving teacher retention, strengthening our schools, and ensuring continuity of instruction for Hawaiʻi’s children,” he added.
Mānoa Elementary teacher Cara Muraoka said, “In my first year as a teacher in a hard-to-staff school, there were five of us new teachers who started at the same time. One teacher quit before the year was over, one teacher had to change grade levels, and one teacher left the profession after two years. After going through at least four years of college to earn their education degree, two teachers quit because the pay was not worth the work they were being asked to do.”
“These examples of high attrition pose a significant problem for the stability of our schools and the success of our students, especially the ones who need it most,” Muraoka said.
Danny Lopez, a teacher at Maui Waena Intermediate, shared that being a teacher on Maui is becoming “harder and harder.”
“Even with spending thousands of dollars and countless hours on a master’s degree, and then 30 additional credit hours, I still am barely scraping by. It seems like every time I earn a bump on the pay scale, my rent goes up. This month, I got my pay bump, and then my apartment complex called me to tell me they’ve been undercharging me on rent and that I owe nearly $800. It’s hard to keep up,” Lopez wrote in his testimony.
“Automatic pay increases would make a huge difference for me and for many others. It would give incentive to stay in Hawaii, earn experience, and become more committed to the local community,” Lopez added.
Shelley Konishi, a general education teacher in the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex, wrote in support of the measure, saying, “Automatic step increases are about more than salary progression. They are about stability and recognizing the value of experienced educators who remain committed to their communities. Retaining teachers who have built strong, multigenerational relationships with families strengthens school culture and student outcomes.
“When experienced teachers leave due to financial uncertainty or the high cost of living, it disrupts not just classrooms, but entire community networks,” she said.
Early last month, the Senate Education and Labor Committees approved SB 2391 with technical amendments suggested by the state Attorney General’s office.
SB 2391’s companion bill in the state House, HB 1890, is also making progress, having passed the House Education Committee and the House Labor Committee last month. The House Finance Committee approved it with amendments on March 3.