Posted 8-31-2018 (Dated 8-31-2018) WES School, teachers affected by storm; Oahu retirement seminars; Con Am website, Facebook page unveiled; Wear RedforEd Tuesday!

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RSVP to these Are You On Track to Retire? events by clicking here. Important update for Farmers Insurance policyholders  Your HSTA Membership Services Committee has partnered with Island Insurance for your home and auto insurance needs, but a number of our HSTA members and retirees are current Farmers Insurance Hawaii policyholders from our previous partnership with Farmers.  Therefore, we wanted to inform you that each Farmer’s policy is being transferred from Farmers Insurance Hawaii, Inc. (FIHI) underwriting company to 21st Century Insurance Company (21CI). We have spoken with Farmers Insurance and they have assured us that: 1) No changes were made to HSTA members’ existing rates, coverage or benefits for a one-year period following notification. Note, this one year period is based on the individual policyholder’s renewal cycle, so there is not one specific end date. Members can continue to renew their policies and receive the same benefits and coverage that they’ve selected. Farmers Hawaii is NOT cancelling these policies due to this change. 2) After the one-year period, HSTA members who are existing Farmers Hawaii policyholders should continue to experience minimal impact on their rates. However, as with all insurance companies, there are occasional rate changes and members could see rate increases or decreases based on these typical factors that may affect their policy (e.g., claims, adding a new car or driver, change in life event, etc.). Please make sure you open your next policy renewal packet and read the cover letter in its entirety. Enclosed in the packet are important materials regarding Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists coverage limits and the AutoPay payment plan. Please take the time to carefully review the information provided. If you have any questions, please contact Farmers Insurance Hawaii at 1-808-FARMERS (1-808-327-6377). Constitutional Amendment campaign picks up steam Our campaign to generate more funding for public schools moved forward this week with the unveiling of a new campaign website called yesforourkeiki.com, where you can hear from teachers about why they support the proposal, read FAQs, news coverage and 20 reasons why voters should approve the measure. Also check out the constitutional amendment Facebook page and please share it with your friends, family and coworkers! The HSTA is also creating a number of social media ads using the faces and voices of teachers from across the state. You'll see them on a smart phone, tablet or computer screen near you soon!  Schools, teachers hit hard by hurricane and aftermath Across the state, the families of two teachers suffered from the flooding and a brush fire that broke out while Hurricane Lane lashed the state, and a Hawaii Island school suffered flooding. The family of Mark Palakiko (above), an auto shop teacher at Laihainaluna High on Maui, and wife Kuulei, who used to teach Hawaiian at Lahainaluna, is trying to rebuild after their home was destroyed by the brush fires started during Hurricane Lane's destructive path over the islands. Please share this GoFundMe campaign with folks who can contribute to helping this family put back the pieces of their lives on the Valley Isle. Deanna Spain, a teacher at Waiakea Elementary, and her family (above) are working to clean and rebuild their Keaau Ag lots home that was flooded Friday night because of Hurricane Lane. They have received lots of help from fellow teachers, but could use donations to help cover costs because insurance will not cover the full extent of their losses. Please share this GoFundMe campaign to help this family in need. At Waiakea Elementary, four classrooms were damaged by flooding, and classes from those rooms have been temporarily re-located and consolidated. Teacher, custodian and administration volunteers began work on the cleanup last Saturday, as the rains continued falling from the storm. A contractor arrived Wednesday to pull out carpets and disinfect the rooms. Members of the UH Hilo baseball team helped in the cleanup. Above: Gov. Ige with Waiakea teachers and staff. Gov. David Ige visited the school Wednesday and State Sen. Kai Kahele has been there frequently to make sure everyone gets the help they need. New carpeting is being ordered for the classrooms and teachers and other volunteers packed and stored items while the work is happening. HSTA helps members prepare for hurricane and future storms Click here to watch the full archived live stream. As Hurricane Lane began to lash the islands with heavy rain last week, the HSTA held a Facebook Live presentation to brief members and answer their employment questions about the storm. It proved to be a very popular broadcast, with more than 70 teachers watching live and asking questions. In the past week, nearly 4,000 people have watched the video, adding 87 comments and logging 49 shares. The presentation is helpful for teachers to learn important information such as your leave status during an emergency and other issues that may come up again this year, since hurricane season isn't over until the end of November. Read our web story about your employment rights during and after an emergency. Watch the Facebook Live which is archived on HSTA's Facebook page.

Wear RedforEd on Tuesday to stand with Arizona   This week, the Arizona Education Association's initiative (INVESTinED) to fully fund public schools in Arizona was knocked off the ballot in unprecedented fashion by the state’s Supreme Court. AEA's members, educators and supporters worked tirelessly this summer in the hottest months of the year to collect 270,000 signatures from Arizonans who want to vote for a fully funded public school system. This is 120,000 more signatures than required, a huge task completed in fewer than two months. Arizona's state legislature is so afraid of the teachers there that the only thing they could do was to silence them by not allowing the people of that state to vote on this proposal. Arizona's educators and supporters are wearing #RedforEd in response, but the issue of poorly funded schools is a nationwide one. Arizona and the NEA are asking for a National #REDforED day this coming Tuesday, Sept. 4, as an act of solidarity and support.  Please: Share this Facebook Event with educators, parents, and allies across Hawaii https://www.facebook.com/events/320622295354368/  Join Arizona by wearing red on Tuesday Post your #REDforED photos on your own page and to the Facebook event, commenting on why you are #REDforED The HSTA joins our sisters and brothers in Arizona and across the country in calling for better public education funding. That's why in Hawaii, we are pushing for the constitutional amendment that will be in the ballot in November to create a surcharge on investment homes worth $1 million or more to help fund our public schools. See the Constitutional Amendment website here.  Ige, Green visit Leeward Chapter RA Gov. David Ige and his running mate for lieutenant governor, State Sen. Josh Green, spent nearly one hour speaking with members of the HSTA's Leeward Chapter at their RA this week at Campbell High. Each of them gave some short remarks but spent a lot of time speaking to small groups of teachers or having one-on-one conversations with HSTA members about various issues, including special education and the need for busing for field trips. Free training against bullying, cheating, teasing for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders  Sign up by Sept. 14 for the free anti-bullying training by clicking here.                    New teachers: You need a license or permit to teach in Hawaii All teachers, librarians and counselors serving at least half time in a Hawaii Department of Education or Charter school are required to hold a valid license or “Emergency Hire” permit. Obtaining and maintaining your license or permit is part of your professional responsibility as an educator. Be sure to check your status at www.hawaiiteacherstandardsboard.org.   If you are unable to access your account, please email htsb@hawaii.gov and request your login information and temporary password. Include your full name and last four digits of your social security number in the message.   Hawaii law imposes a penalty of $500 for any teacher, counselor or librarian in a DOE public or charter school without a valid license or permit. The deadline to avoid this penalty or being placed on leave without pay is October 5, 2018. DOE principals/administrators who knowingly employ individuals without an active license or permit may also be fined $500 per employee. Thanks to your HSTA contract, if only the annual license fee is due in any given year, the DOE pays the license fee if a classroom teacher is tenured and had an effective or better rating on their previous evaluation. Read more about the HTSB requirements here.  Coming Sept. 21: LaborFest Hawaii 2018 Oahu Teachers! Come out to learn about Hawaii's strong labor community and hear from one of your own: Darron Cambra, a creative arts teacher at Farrington High, is performing in the poetry reading that starts off the Friday pau hana event. Happy Labor Day weekend!  As you enjoy this three-day weekend, let's remember this holiday celebrates the hard work of the labor movement. If you'd like to read up a bit on the significance of Labor Day, click here. DOE, UH offer scholarship stipend to emergency hires, substitutes and EAs The state is offering a University of Hawaii scholarship stipend opportunity for emergency hire teachers, substitute teachers, and educational assistants on all islands at a secondary school with a bachelor’s degree.  Read about the UH scholarship stipend for emergency hires, subs and EAs. Deadline: Oct. 1. HSTA's new website is here; Members, please register for members-only content HSTA.org has undergone a major makeover! If you have not registered for web access since the website went live on July 18, 2018, you will need to go through a quick web registration process. Because it is a totally new site, you have to re-register. Registering on our site (same address — hsta.org) is simple and should only take a few minutes. After submitting your web registration request, an HSTA staff member will verify that you are an active member. That’s when you will receive a confirmation email granting you access to the new website. Verification of membership will be carried out during business hours, but most information on the website is available without the need to sign in. Maintaining accurate access to our members-only areas is important to us, and we hope you will understand our need to verify membership before granting that access. Read more about features of our new website, and members-only benefits once you register. Have college loans deferred or canceled! The feds have designated the following subjects as teacher shortage areas, meaning Hawaii public school educators who teach these subjects could qualify to have their student loans deferred or canceled: Career and Technical Education Language Arts -- English Mathematics Science Special Education World Languages World Languages -- Hawaiian World Languages -- Hawaiian Immersion Here are the details of several programs that offer loan deferrals or loan cancellation, as well as contact information. Degrees not Debt is a student loan forgiveness workshop presented by NEA Member Benefits that focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their Federal Loans forgiven. This workshop also covers the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal Loans. Save these dates for the next Degrees Not Debt workshops: November 15 on Maui at Baldwin High Multipurpose room -- 4 to 6 p.m. Please RSVP by November 10  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com November 16  on Oahu (Virtual) at HSTA HQ -- time, other details to be announced. The Oahu workshop will be available by via video conference to members statewide who register in advance. "Right now, Hawaii teachers are the lowest paid in the nation," said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee, who is spearheading the constitutional amendment proposal. "Hawaii schools are the only ones in the country that don't use real property taxes to fund their schools. What we're looking at specifically is to tax second homes over $1 million." From Hawaii News Now: City sues to block ballot proposal that would raise taxes to better fund schools From Hawaii Public Radio: Hear HSTA President Corey Rosenlee refute the arguments of the city of Honolulu in its frivolous lawsuit against the constitutional amendment.  Popular HSTA Links: DOE's 2018-2019 official school calendar DOE's 2019-2020 official school calendar DOE's 2020-2021 official school calendar Classroom visit memo Please see this UPDATED MARCH 2018 chart for the EUTF and HSTA VB Health Benefit Premium Rates effective July 1, 2018. Hawaii Teacher Standards Board Read HTSB reminders here. Even if teachers haven’t taken any additional professional development credits, as long as they have been teaching more than five years, and are not already Class 7, they can still move up in class and give themselves a raise. Go to PDE3 to learn how. Read the full story about pay hikes, supplemental pay and stipends available for teachers. Click here to look at the salary schedules. HSTA members can find a PDF searchable copy of the new 2017-2021 HSTA Collective Bargaining Agreement (contract) at this link. More information about the 21 hours of job-embedded professional development can be found in these DOE FAQs. Guidelines for Reclassification of Teachers

Posted 8-31-2018 (Dated 8-28-2018) Administrative Leave for Aug. 22-24, 2018

Re: Administrative Leave for Aug. 22-24, 2018

The DOE is requiring teachers to complete a leave form (DOE OHR 300-001), this is to complete paperwork that the DOE is responsible for when any type of leave has been taken.  In this case, the leave was an emergency closure for Aug. 22-24, 2018 and was deemed to be a “paid administrative leave.”  Teachers should fill out the form and be sure to check the “paid leave” section, attach copy of the Admin. Leave Memo dated 8/22/18 that is attached to this email.  They should also keep a copy of their documentation for their own files.

The leave for those three days will not be coming out of their leave balance and they will be credited for having worked/being on active work status for those days.  Teachers who had requested and been approved for other types of leave during those days will have their leave balance deducted (per the memo) for the days previously approved for leave.

I understand that this procedure seems to be unnecessary.  However, several years ago the DOE was audited and was told that they had to clean up their leave records.  As a result, everyone who took any type of leave had to fill out the form. 

Let me know if you or other teachers have questions.  Please encourage them to contact Rae.

Posted 8-25-2018 (Dated 8-22-2018) Hilo Chapter RA Tuesday, Aug. 28

Aloha Hilo Chapter Members! I hope your school year 2018-2019 has started off positive and energized. The Hilo Chapter officers and your Hilo board member invite you to attend our Representative Assembly (RA) Meetings. State President Corey Rosenlee will attend our first RA meeting August 28, 2018 @ 5:30 p.m. at Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School Library. Your Hilo Chapter representatives on the Government Relations and Negotiations Committees will also give you some important updates. Dinner will be provided. *If you are a not a Head Faculty Rep/School Level Leader (HFR/SLL) and plan on attending an RA, please notify your HFR/SLL so that they can contact our chapter treasurer (two weeks before the date of the RA) to ensure that there is enough food. We realize that's not possible for this next RA, next week, but we need the lead time to assure our meal orders include everyone who wants to attend. :) Should you have any questions, comments or concerns throughout the school year, please feel free to contact us. And please take care of each other during the storm that's already affecting Hawaii Island this afternoon. Thank you, Dawn K. K. Raymond HSTA Hilo Chapter President

Copyright © 2018 Hawaii State Teachers Association, All rights reserved. Mahalo for your engagement. Our mailing address is: Hawaii State Teachers Association 1200 Ala Kapuna Street Honolulu, HI 96819

Posted 8-25-2018 (Dated 8-22-2018) Special storm edition: Know your rights

As the hurricane gets closer, know your rights Because of the school closures caused by the threat of Hurricane Lane, HSTA would like to provide members additional information specific to their contractual rights for emergencies such as a hurricane. Read more: The DOE has closed schools statewide through Friday Q: Do I have to report to work when schools are closed?  A: Unlike other school districts around the country, the HSTA contract has very strong provisions related to health and safety. This is especially true when students are sent home and/or schools are closed. The contract states: “Teachers shall not be required to work under unsafe or hazardous conditions or to perform tasks which imminently endanger their health or safety.” In addition, “When students are sent home from school or are not required to attend due to emergencies which endanger health or safety, teachers will not be required to remain at, nor report to, said schools.”  Q: Do I get paid when I am told not to report to work?  A: Yes Q: Is there anything I should plan for related to my classroom during a school closure?  A: It is possible that in an emergency such as a hurricane that your school campus is designated an evacuation shelter and your classroom could be used by evacuees. As such, if you have work equipment and items of value in your classroom, they should be locked up.  HSTA recommends if you have personal items of value that you take them home.  Q: I heard that the DOE could extend the school year because of these closures, is that true?  A: Yes, but the HSTA contract allows for a limit of 190 work days, which are already scheduled in the current calendar. Any extension to the work year for 10-month employees would have to be negotiated with the HSTA. Teachers would need to receive additional compensation for additional days of work.  Q: How am I supposed to know what is going on with my school and when we report back?  A: Every school should have an extensive emergency plan and, more important, a school communication procedure such as a phone tree to communicate with employees. If you are not aware of your school’s plan, please contact your administration right away. It is also important to make sure your contact information, such phone and emergency contacts, is updated with your school on a regular basis. In addition, the Department of Education will push out information on social media and its website. Charter school closures and announcements are often posted on school webpages and/or on the Charter Commission website.    Q: What should I do if my classroom is damaged by the storm?  A: You should immediately inform the administration of any damage to include not only furniture and equipment but also items such as books and supplies so they are aware for any claims that need to be filed because of the damage.  Q: What if my personal property/home is damaged and I need to take leave?  A: You may request up to six (6) days of personal leave, which counts against your sick leave. If you need additional days, you may also apply for leave without pay.   Q: I was scheduled to take leave (sick, personal or vacation) Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but the schools are closed. Can I cancel my leave and get my leave back?  A: Generally the policy of the DOE is that you will not be able to cancel your leave after the announcement has been made for the closure. You will remain on approved sick, personal or vacation leave. If you cancelled prior to the announced closure, then you should have no problem with cancellation. Here is more information about the DOE's leave policy. If you have further questions regarding any of the above, please contact info@hsta.org. We will do our best to respond to your questions as soon as possible. HSTA offices will be closed Thursday and Friday because of the storm. Staff will return emails as quickly as possible under these circumstances. The safety of you and your loved ones is our top priority and we encourage you to take all necessary precautions to remain safe during the storm. Mahalo for your time. Read more: The DOE has closed schools statewide through Friday

Copyright © 2018 Hawaii State Teachers Association, All rights reserved. Mahalo for your engagement. Our mailing address is: Hawaii State Teachers Association 1200 Ala Kapuna Street Honolulu, HI 96819 Add us to your address book

Posted 8-16-2018 (Dated 8-16-2018) 1 of 18 2 teachers win primary contests; Gov. and LG nominees thank HSTA; HTSB license/permit needed if you're a new teacher; Register for new website

Two teachers win primary contests A science teacher from Kailua and a social studies teacher from Mililani advanced in Saturday's primary election, winning the Democratic nominations for seats in the state House. Amy Perruso, a social studies teacher at Mililani High who just finished a three-year term as HSTA secretary-treasurer, triumphed over an incumbent to win the Democratic primary for the House seat that represents Wahiawa and Whitmore Village. "As a teacher going on 15 years now, education is my life and passion," said Kalaheo science teacher Micah Kalama Pregitzer, who won the Democratic primary for the state House seat that covers Kailua and Kaneohe Bay. Read the entire article about Perruso and Pregitzer's victories, and how fellow teachers helped put them over the top.

Ige, Green thankful to teachers for election wins Above: At Ige headquarters late Saturday night (L to R): HSTA Government Relations Specialist Mitzie Higa, HSTA President Corey Rosenlee, HSTA Deputy Executive Director Andrea Eshelman, Gov. David Ige, State Sen. Josh Green, HSTA Vice President Osa Tui, Jr. and HSTA Secretary-Treasurer Logan Okita. Gov. David Ige and State Sen. Josh Green are grateful to the Hawaii State Teachers Association for boosting their campaigns and helping them win the Democratic races for governor and lieutenant governor in the Aug. 11 primary election. "I really want to thank the teachers," said Ige, while Green said, "This campaign ended up being a lot closer than we thought. And HSTA came on with a powerful endorsement for us." Read the entire article about Ige and Green's tributes to teachers upon their election.   New teachers: You need a license or permit to teach in Hawaii All teachers, librarians and counselors serving at least half time in a Hawaii Department of Education or Charter school are required to hold a valid license or “Emergency Hire” permit. Obtaining and maintaining your license or permit is part of your professional responsibility as an educator. Be sure to check your status at www.hawaiiteacherstandardsboard.org.   If you are unable to access your account, please email htsb@hawaii.gov and request your login information and temporary password. Include your full name and last four digits of your social security number in the message.   Hawaii law imposes a penalty of $500 for any teacher, counselor or librarian in a DOE public or charter school without a valid license or permit. The deadline to avoid this penalty or being placed on leave without pay is October 5, 2018. DOE principals/administrators who knowingly employ individuals without an active license or permit may also be fined $500 per employee. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the HTSB. They are here to assist you!   DOE, UH offer scholarship stipend to emergency hires, substitutes and EAs The state is offering a University of Hawaii scholarship stipend opportunity for emergency hire teachers, substitute teachers, and educational assistants on all islands at a secondary school with a bachelor’s degree.  Read about the UH scholarship stipend for emergency hires, subs and EAs. Deadline: Oct. 1. HSTA's new website is here; Members, please register for members-only content HSTA.org has undergone a major makeover! If you have not registered for web access since the website went live on July 18, 2018, you will need to go through a quick web registration process. Because it is a totally new site, you have to re-register. Registering on our site (same address — hsta.org) is simple and should only take a few minutes. After submitting your web registration request, an HSTA staff member will verify that you are an active member. That’s when you will receive a confirmation email granting you access to the new website. Verification of membership will be carried out during business hours, but most information on the website is available without the need to sign in. Maintaining accurate access to our members-only areas is important to us, and we hope you will understand our need to verify membership before granting that access. Read more about features of our new website, and members-only benefits once you register.   HSTA raises kick in this fall; How to increase your pay further   Because of the HSTA's collective work to push for a strong contract, public school teachers will see significant increases in pay this school year. Effective the first day of the second quarter, educators will receive a three-and-a-half percent (3.5%) across-the-board pay raise. That pay increase will show up starting with their Nov. 5 paychecks. In all, there are various raises worth nearly 14 percent over the four years of the contract, which expires in 2021. Also, this is a great time to move up in pay by reclassifying. Last year was the fifth year of the negotiated 21 hours and 3 credits. Even if teachers haven’t taken any additional professional development credits, as long as they have been teaching more than five years, and are not already Class 7, they can still move up in class and give themselves a raise. Go to PDE3 to learn how. Read the full story about pay hikes, supplemental pay and stipends available for teachers. HSTA updates members on lava efforts   Here is the latest information from HSTA with updates and resources about the lava eruption on Hawaii Island. There you can find the latest developments about the lava flows and how they are affecting schools, students and staff. Click here for the DOE's Kilauea eruption landing page. Click here for a story about HSTA's efforts to publicize the plight of teachers made homeless by the lava. The story also has links to each teacher's GoFundMe appeal.   Have college loans deferred or canceled! The feds have designated the following subjects as teacher shortage areas, meaning Hawaii public school educators who teach these subjects could qualify to have their student loans deferred or canceled: Career and Technical Education Language Arts -- English Mathematics Science Special Education World Languages World Languages -- Hawaiian World Languages -- Hawaiian Immersion  Here are the details of several programs that offer loan deferrals or loan cancellation, as well as contact information. Degrees not Debt is a student loan forgiveness workshop presented by NEA Member Benefits that focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their Federal Loans forgiven. This workshop also covers the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal Loans. Save these dates for the next Degrees Not Debt workshops: November 15 on Maui -- location, time, other details to be announced November 16  on Oahu (Virtual) at HSTA HQ -- time, other details to be announced. The Oahu workshop will be available by via video conference to members statewide who register in advance.   From Hawaii Public Radio: Nov. 6 constitutional amendment question: Investment property surcharge for education? A multi-part series on the constitutional amendment begins with a quick quotation from HSTA President Corey Rosenlee and then several critics of the measure. From Hawaii Public Radio: HSTA weighs constitutional amendment to help fund public education HPR speaks in more depth to Rosenlee and to teacher Cynthia Tong, winner of HSTA's Teacher of Excellence award this year. From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.com: HSTA President Corey Rosenlee optimistic early on primary night with Gov. Ige in the lead               RSVP to these Are You On Track to Retire? events by clicking here. New school year, new opportunities to save The promise of a new school year brings with it many new opportunities; a fresh start for students and school staff, a chance to reach a whole new set of students, and the endless pursuit of those “light bulb” moments when learning suddenly arrives. Another opportunity at the start of the school year is to review your plans for retirement savings. Will you have enough to live comfortably in retirement? Should you be saving more? How much do you need? These are great questions to ask your NEA Retirement Specialist who can help you plan for your retirement income needs. To see a snapshot of your retirement savings progress, take the Five Minute Retirement Checkup (http://www.nearetirementprogram.com/#15-minute-retirement-checkup/c20tm). The Five Minute Retirement Checkup can help answer those retirement planning questions and give you the answers you need to take the next steps to meet your goals. You might even get your own light bulb moment!   Popular HSTA Links: DOE's 2018-2019 official school calendar DOE's 2019-2020 official school calendar DOE's 2020-2021 official school calendar Classroom visit memo Please see this UPDATED MARCH 2018 chart for the EUTF and HSTA VB Health Benefit Premium Rates effective July 1, 2018. Hawaii Teacher Standards Board Read HTSB reminders here. Click here to look at the salary schedules. HSTA members can find a PDF searchable copy of the new 2017-2021 HSTA Collective Bargaining Agreement (contract) at this link. More information about the 21 hours of job-embedded professional development can be found in these DOE FAQs. Guidelines for Reclassification of Teachers