Gov. Josh Green helped negotiators resolve some of the final hurdles before announcing a tentative four-year contract settlement with the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA).
The deal includes an approximate 14.5% pay increase over the four-year contract for the 13,500 teachers the union represents. “This is the strongest contract we have achieved since 2013,” HSTA President Osa Tui Jr. said in a release. “This round of bargaining was the most collaborative I’ve experienced in my decade of negotiations with the employer. We’re also extremely grateful to Gov. Josh Green, who joined us on the last day of bargaining and actively helped to clear some of the logjams that remained.”
Green, Tui and Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi announced the agreement that averages an annual pay raise of 3.4% for teachers and raises pay for instructors, who are teachers working toward licensure. The contract also provides bonuses for the most experienced teachers to increase retention.
“This is another great step forward in raising pay and improving the quality of life for our teachers, who we value tremendously,” Green said in the release. “I was honored to engage directly in the negotiations, to help move the needle forward toward this crucial collective bargaining agreement for our teachers and our kids.”
Other cost items include increases in employer contributions to teachers’ health insurance premiums and raises for teachers who traditionally work after-hours to support extracurricular programs such as band, drama and chorus.
“This agreement helps set a solid foundation for the next four years with predictable increases that recognize the incredible work of the educators in our schools who directly support student learning,” Hayashi said. “It also elevates the teaching profession across the pipeline – from beginning teachers to veteran teachers to non-traditional teachers – while supporting their continued professional growth. The Department appreciates the collaborative effort under Gov. Green’s leadership along with HSTA and the Board of Education to demonstrate our collective commitment to public education.”