Lawmakers introduce automatic step pay increase bill for educators
State lawmakers have introduced a proposal that would help steady Hawaiʻi’s public school teaching workforce by implementing automatic step pay increases.
11 new public pre-K classrooms to open statewide this fall
Eleven new public pre-K classrooms across the state will open under budget and a year ahead of schedule under Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s Ready Keiki initiative, announced during a news conference Wednesday at Lincoln Elementary School on Oʻahu.
Measure to appoint nonvoting teacher member to BOE passes House Education Committee
The Hawaiʻi State House of Education Committee advanced Tuesday a measure that would allow a nonvoting public school teacher member on the Hawaiʻi Board of Education.
Lawmakers give initial OK for more public school AC funding
Bills that appropriate funds to install air conditioning units for public school classrooms that have not received air conditioning were approved by the state Senate Education Committee and House Education Committee in the last week.
HIDOE offers few specifics on when school-based testing will begin
The Hawaii State Department of Education’s plans for free COVID-19 testing at public schools statewide are eagerly awaited by students, staff, and parents, but at a legislative hearing this week, school officials did not answer key questions about when the program will be available at all schools.
Lawmakers approve $2,200 one-time teacher payments
HB613, CD2 appropriates $29.7 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds for the fiscal year that starts July 1 “for the purpose of educator workforce stabilization to retain teachers; provided that moneys appropriated shall be used for a one-time stabilization payment of $2,200 for each teacher.”
Lawmakers direct HIDOE to use federal aid to preserve school jobs, avoid pay cuts
The schools superintendent faces increasing pressure from state lawmakers to rescind budget cuts and direct federal stimulus aid to keep school employees on the payroll and maintain their current levels of pay instead of implementing pay cuts, layoffs, or hiring tutors.
Lawmakers’ bills direct HIDOE to avoid layoffs instead of hiring tutors
State Senate and House leaders have introduced bills that direct the Hawaii Department of Education to use millions in federal stimulus funding to preserve educators’ jobs, contrary to a HIDOE plan to use nearly one-third of stimulus funds bound for the education department to hire outside tutors.