Posted 10-26-2018 (Dated 10-26-2018) State, district teachers of the year announced; Gov, superintendent pledge to increase school funds, salaries; Who to vote for, where to sign wave!

DOE names state, district teachers of the year Congratulations to Mathieu Williams, the multimedia teacher at Kealakehe Intermediate School on Hawaii Island, who was named the Department of Education's Teacher of the Year at a ceremony at Washington Place Friday afternoon. Above: Mathieu Williams (center with many lei around his neck) posed with the schools superintendent, the governor and his wife along with other DOE officials. Mahalo and job well done to all the district teachers of the year from across the state, who are pictured below. We appreciate that so many educators consistently go above and beyond for their students and the community. District Teachers of the Year: Honolulu District: Samuel Hankins, Kawananakoa Middle Central District: Mary Ann Kurose, Radford High Leeward District: Gail Izumigawa, Waipahu High Windward District: Deborah Morrow, Kailua Elementary Maui District: Brandon Arakawa, Kahului Elementary Kauai District: Sean Doi, Kauai Complex Area Public Charter School: Shane Albritton, School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability Find photos of all the honorees in this photo album of the award event. Con Am illuminated school funding crisis    Gov, schools superintendent call for more school resources, better pay Even though the state Supreme Court blocked voters from deciding on the constitutional amendment to better fund our schools, the HSTA’s Con Am campaign helped focus attention on chronic public school underfunding, low teacher pay and the negative consequences those problems have on students. “The constitutional amendment started a great conversation about how do we improve public schools in Hawaii,” said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee at a news conference Monday. “While HSTA is disappointed in the Supreme Court decision, we must continue this conversation, and the conversation must lead to results. The stakes are too high.” The HSTA organized the Oct. 22 news conference at McKinley High on Oahu that was attended by Gov. David Ige, Board of Education Chair Catherine Payne, State Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, State Sen. Michelle Kidani, community education activists, supporters and public school teachers. The HSTA invited leaders of the anti Con Am group called the Affordable Hawaii Coalition, but they declined to attend, holding their own separate news conference later in the day Monday. Read a detailed article from HSTA.org about the news conference in which the schools superintendent talks about the need for higher teacher salaries and the governor commits to fighting for more school resources. Watch video highlights from HSTA's news conference with the governor and other state leaders here. Read this fascinating column from Civil Beat about how the Con Am language morphed from what HSTA originally fought for (clear, specific language targeting second homes worth more than $1million) into a vague proposal that opponents were able to use to scare voters. Teachers across the state showed their support for better school funding Oct. 24 Above: Palolo Elementary on Oahu. Below: Kalanianaole Elem and Middle on Hawaii Island. Mahalo to the teachers and community members stood together outside their schools to sign wave to rally for better school funding Wednesday, only days after the state Supreme Court invalidated the constitutional amendment. Click here to see photos sent in from teachers on Oct. 24. Everyone knows that voting is important, but sometimes we have a hard time figuring out who to vote for. Not to worry! When you click the link below, you'll be asked to enter your address or city and within seconds you'll see HSTA-recommended candidates who support public education in your area. Be sure to vote in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 6! Click here! (Then share the link with family and friends who might need help deciding who to vote for.) Want to sign wave and support HSTA-recommended candidates? Check out this political action schedule! Vote for your fellow teachers! Amy Perruso and Micah Pregitzer -- two longtime Hawaii public school teachers -- are running for Hawaii's State House, and are among the 1,500 teachers across the country mounting campaigns for elected office in November's elections. Read about the record number of teachers running for office nationwide this year. Learn more about Micah Pregitzer (D), who's running to represent House District 50, Kailua and Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, by clicking here for his campaign Facebook page or watching the following short video. Click here to watch the video Learn more about Amy Perruso (D), who is campaigning to represent state House of Representatives District 46, which covers Wahiawa, Whitmore Village and Launani Valley at her campaign website or by watching this brief video. Click here to watch the video   Teachers win prize packs for answering GR, negotiations surveys Mahalo to the more than 1,000 teachers across the state who took time to complete two important surveys about HSTA's government relations priorities and negotiations/contract issues. Congratulations to the following ten HSTA members who won a reusable red bag full of teacher tools for participating in our surveys. The randomly selected winners are: Alicia Jacobson, Maui Chapter, Haiku Elementary Abel Maldonado, Hilo Chapter, Waikeawaena Elementary Felicia Villalobos, Kauai Chapter, Wilcox Elementary John Lander, Maui Chapter, Maui Waena Intermediate Leslie Stewart, Windward Chapter, Kahuku High and Intermediate Alika Masei, Leeward Chapter, Waianae Intermediate Ashlie Johnson, Leeward Chapter, Makakilo Elementary Michele Costa-Rocha, Hilo Chapter, Kalanianaole Elementary/Intermediate Jason Jestice, Leeward Chapter, Waipahu High Shelley Lau, Honolulu Chapter, Aina Haina Elementary  HSTA supports diversity, striking hotel workers   Members of HSTA's Human and Civil Rights Committee -- dressed in colorful tie-dye t-shirts -- marched down Kalakaua Avenue Saturday morning in the Honolulu Pride Parade, to celebrate diversity and support members of the LGBTQ community. HSTA's Board of Directors also participated in the parade and then joined other unions in supporting members of Local 5, the hotel workers who are out on strike against several large hotels. HSTA board members attended a solidarity rally for the hotel workers Saturday morning in front of the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Waikiki. New Spring 2019 HSTA PD course offered Signing up for HSTA PD courses is as easy as 1, 2, 3: Go pde3.k12.hi.us (PDE3) and add yourself to the wait-list for a specific section of a course Next, go to www.pd.hsta.org and make payment for that specific course section Lastly, once payment is received, HSTA will move you from the  “Wait-List” to “Registered” on PDE3 and your enrollment will be confirmed via email K-6 Foundations of Number Sense- Hybrid PDE3 Section #MA184074  Dates: January 10 - June 6, 2019 Click here for course on HSTA PD site This 3-PD Credit Course is designed as an introductory course to support educators in teaching number sense using strategies and philosophies used in Singapore. Give students a deeper understanding of numbers, setting them up for current and future success as mathematical thinkers. Learn how to build foundational number sense not through memorization of rules and facts, but through a clear understanding of numbers, their magnitude, and their relationships with other numbers. Learn new methods for building number sense and teaching computation in ways that make sense to both you and your students in alignment with the Common Core State Standards. With this solid foundation, you will prepare them to develop higher-level math skills and reasoning ability for years to come.  This section will meet on Oahu at HSTA, 1200 Ala Kapuna Street, Honolulu, HI 96819,  from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: January 10, February 16, and March 2.  Online work will be required as part of this course.  The deadline to pay for this course is December 31, 2018.  Only HSTA Members are eligible.   Please vote for these 3 Hawaii teachers daily until Oct. 31! This year, three Hawaii teachers have the chance to win $100,000 through the Farmers Insurance Dream Big Teacher Challenge! The three Hawaii finalists are:      Leimamo Lind-Strauss – Ho‘okena Elementary School, Captain Cook, HI Ryan Chatfield – Aiea High School, Aiea, HI Zachary Morita – Niu Valley Middle School, Honolulu, HI Your votes have the power to make these Hawaii teachers’ dreams come true! They need your votes to win $100,000 for their classrooms and students. The voting period is open from October 1 to October 31.  Please support and vote for the three Hawaii teachers to help make their dreams come true. Click on the link here to vote. and vote every day until October 31 for each of the three Hawaii teachers. Give these teachers the chance to fund their educational visions. HSTA membership ID cards look like this Your new membership cards should have arrived in your home mailbox recently. The cards include your name, your HSTA and NEA membership number and the year you originally became a member. Use these cards for discounts and specials that require an HSTA membership card. And use the membership number to register for our new website.

Degrees Not Debt - student loan forgiveness seminars on Maui, online (Oahu) Maui November 15 4-6 p.m. Baldwin High Multipurpose Room Oahu and Virtually November 16 4 – 5:30 p.m. (in-person check in starts at 3:30 p.m.) HSTA Office and virtually The latest NEA Member Benefit research shows that recent graduates are leaving schools with greater debt. This presentation focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their federal loans forgiven. In addition, we will cover the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal loans. Basic financial planning tips on how to live with debt, save for retirement despite paying off debt and the importance of having a financial plan will also be covered. Please RSVP by November 10: Maui (November 15, 2018):  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com Oahu and Virtually (November 16, 2018): https://dndnov16.eventbrite.com Communications specialist position open The HSTA is looking for a communications specialist to join its team that communicates with members and the public. The person hired for the post will be responsible for gathering and writing web stories, oversight of HSTA's social media channels and its weekly Member Matters e-newsletter as well as media relations. Experience working in daily news media and/or familiarity with Hawaii news organizations and reporters is strongly preferred. The communications specialist will report to HSTA Director of Communications Keoki Kerr and work in the Communications Department, which includes HSTA Media Specialist Chris Schubert. Read the position description and apply by Nov. 12. Mark your calendar for Teacher Institute Day  Teacher Institute Day began in the 1960s as a day for teachers to meet and work on school-related issues. In 1972, HSTA negotiated this important time into the contract to guard against it being taken away.  In the early years, the Association used Teacher Institute Day to inform teachers about negotiations, lobbying, political action and grievance processing.  As time progressed, HSTA introduced workshops to help teachers with their jobs and personal concerns such as retirement and health care. Teacher Institute Day is the single largest professional development day on the school calendar, covering a variety of topics – for professional and personal growth – and featuring noteworthy keynote speakers.  In 2017, the focus of Institute Day was to inform teachers about negotiations and their contract.  Thousands of teachers united and rallied and made their voices heard at the State Capitol. As a result of strong collective action across the state that spring, the HSTA negotiated a nearly 14 percent pay hike over four years. As a professional day, it is a workday and teacher attendance is expected. Here are the dates by island:                Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, Oahu                             Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, Hawaii Island                     Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, Kauai                             Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, Molokai                      Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, Maui and Lanai           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. 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 10-20-2018 (Dated 10-19-2018) State Supreme Court invalidates Con Am; Pay raise coming Nov. 5; Free college loan forgiveness, contract webinars; Pride Parade Sat.

Look for pay hikes in Nov. 5 paycheck 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. Monthly earnings will increase by at least $138 for 10-month, full-time licensed teachers.  Below is a quick chart to help teachers find out how much more money you will see each month.  That pay increase will show up starting with your Nov. 5 paychecks. If you want to see all the salary schedules, please log into the HSTA website at www.hsta.org, schedules can be found on page 80 of the contract and in the members only section under https://www.hsta.org/Members/Salary-Schedules   Effective Oct 15, 2018 salary schedules C and CC will be in effect.  State Supreme Court invalidates Con Am proposal; HSTA continues fight to improve schools To my fellow educators: The Hawaii Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a question on general election ballots asking voters if they want to amend the Hawaii Constitution to allow the state to tax property in support of public education. Ruling in favor of Hawaii’s four counties, the court found that the wording of the question wasn’t sufficiently clear. Hawaii law requires that the language of a constitutional amendment be “neither misleading or deceptive.” “The Chief Election Officer shall issue a public proclamation stating that the ballot question is invalid and that any votes for or against the measure will not be counted and will have no impact,” according to the order from the Supreme Court issued this afternoon. A written opinion is forthcoming. We are disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling and extremely grateful to thousands of teachers who worked so hard to campaign for the Con Am. This has been a multi-year fight to fund our schools and get the constitutional amendment proposal on the ballot. While we are sad about the ruling, there is still an urgent need that students have a qualified teacher and sufficient school funding to provide our keiki with the learning environment they deserve. The fight for our schools does not end with the Supreme Court ruling; all of Hawaii must ask that our elected leaders work to ensure that our schools are properly funded. Watch a Facebook Live message HSTA President Corey Rosenlee delivered to members and the public late Friday afternoon. The current situation is unacceptable. We have more than 1,000 classrooms that lack a qualified teacher, crumbling facilities, and too many of our students are denied learning opportunities based on their special needs. We have heard throughout this campaign the loud voice of the community to improve our schools. While there might have been disagreements on the amendment itself, there is still the strong desire from our community to invest in education. As a community, we must strive to give our keiki the schools they deserve. Thank you for the work you do, Corey Rosenlee HSTA President Teachers across the state showed their support for the constitutional amendment on Oct. 16 Above: Maui Waena Intermediate School Thousands of teachers, parents and community members stood together outside their schools to sign wave to create positive awareness about the constitutional amendment last Tuesday. Click here to see photos sent in from teachers Ige supports Con Am; Says he'll veto any harmful taxes  Click here to watch the video Gov. David Ige pledged during a debate Monday night on KHON2 that he would veto any proposal that raised property taxes for residents or increased rents on affordable properties, disproving the misleading scare tactics being spread by opponents of the constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.​ Read the full story about Ige's pledge, remarks HSTA's Constitutional amendment commercial started Thursday  Click here to watch the commercial A commercial supporting the constitutional amendment begins airing on Honolulu television stations Thursday as well as on social media. The 30-second television spot — called “Condo” — shows the difference between the luxury Hawaii residences of many out-of-state investors and the sad, decrepit conditions of our public school facilities. “This ad highlights the contrast between the conditions our children are learning in and the high-end investment property owners who benefitting off of Hawaii without paying their fair share,” said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee.  120 UH researchers, professors debunk Con Am myths Click here to watch the full video A coalition of 120 researchers and professors from the U.H. system and other universities has produced a six-page research brief that disproves four major misconceptions about the constitutional amendment, which is on the November ballot. Here are highlights from their news conference held Monday. Link to the research brief: https://hawaiischolars.wordpress.com Celebrate diversity at Pride Parade Oct. 20 HSTA Board supports striking hotel workers Members of the HSTA Board of Directors will march in the Honolulu Pride Parade Saturday, Oct. 20 and then will join other unions in supporting members of Local 5, the hotel workers who are out on strike against several large hotels. HSTA board members will attend a solidarity rally for the hotel workers Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Waikiki. Join them if you'd like, and wear your red HSTA logo wear to show that we support our brothers and sisters who are fighting for a raise and protections they deserve. New Spring 2019 HSTA PD course offered Signing up for HSTA PD courses is as easy as 1, 2, 3: Go pde3.k12.hi.us (PDE3) and add yourself to the wait-list for a specific section of a course Next, go to www.pd.hsta.org and make payment for that specific course section Lastly, once payment is received, HSTA will move you from the  “Wait-List” to “Registered” on PDE3 and your enrollment will be confirmed via email K-6 Foundations of Number Sense- Hybrid PDE3 Section #MA184074  Dates: January 10 - June 6, 2019 Click here for course on HSTA PD site This 3-PD Credit Course is designed as an introductory course to support educators in teaching number sense using strategies and philosophies used in Singapore. Give students a deeper understanding of numbers, setting them up for current and future success as mathematical thinkers. Learn how to build foundational number sense not through memorization of rules and facts, but through a clear understanding of numbers, their magnitude, and their relationships with other numbers. Learn new methods for building number sense and teaching computation in ways that make sense to both you and your students in alignment with the Common Core State Standards. With this solid foundation, you will prepare them to develop higher-level math skills and reasoning ability for years to come.  This section will meet on Oahu at HSTA, 1200 Ala Kapuna Street, Honolulu, HI 96819,  from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: January 10, February 16, and March 2.  Online work will be required as part of this course.  The deadline to pay for this course is December 31, 2018.  Only HSTA Members are eligible.   Big dreams under way: Please vote for these 3 Hawaii teachers! Every year, Farmers Insurance awards teachers with $2,500 and $100,000 grants through the Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers program. This year, three Hawaii teachers have the chance to win $100,000 through the Farmers Insurance Dream Big Teacher Challenge! The three Hawaii finalists are:      Leimamo Lind-Strauss – Ho‘okena Elementary School, Captain Cook, HI Ryan Chatfield – Aiea High School, Aiea, HI Zachary Morita – Niu Valley Middle School, Honolulu, HI Your votes have the power to make these Hawaii teachers’ dreams come true! They need your votes to win $100,000 for their classrooms and students. The voting period is open from October 1 to October 31.  Please support and vote for the three Hawaii teachers to help make their dreams come true. Click on the link here to vote. and vote every day until October 31 for each of the three Hawaii teachers. Give these teachers the chance to fund their educational visions. HSTA membership ID cards have been delivered Your new membership cards should have arrived in your home mailbox within the last week or so. The cards include your name, your HSTA and NEA membership number and the year you originally became a member. Use these cards for discounts and specials that require an HSTA membership card. And use the membership number to register for our new website.

Degrees Not Debt - student loan forgiveness seminars on Maui, online (Oahu) Maui November 15 4-6 p.m. Baldwin High Multipurpose Room Oahu and Virtually November 16 4 – 5:30 p.m. (in-person check in starts at 3:30 p.m.) HSTA Office and virtually The latest NEA Member Benefit research shows that recent graduates are leaving schools with greater debt. This presentation focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their federal loans forgiven. In addition, we will cover the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal loans. Basic financial planning tips on how to live with debt, save for retirement despite paying off debt and the importance of having a financial plan will also be covered. Please RSVP by November 10: Maui (November 15, 2018):  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com Oahu and Virtually (November 16, 2018): https://dndnov16.eventbrite.com New educators: Check out this free webinar HSTA’s Support Hawaii’s New Educators (SHiNE) Program is excited to announce this upcoming webinar for new educators:   Union Strong: My Contractual Rights and Benefits Q&A Now that the school year is in full swing, get to know the highlights of your contract and take the opportunity to ask any burning questions you might have (like “When does the next pay raise take effect?”) Join past negotiations chair and current HSTA Vice President Osa Tui, Jr. and Deputy Executive Director Andrea Eshelman for our online discussion on October 25 from 5 to 6 p.m.  Sign up here    Communications specialist position open The HSTA is looking for a communications specialist to join its team that communicates with members and the public. The person hired for the post will be responsible for gathering and writing web stories, oversight of HSTA's social media channels and its weekly Member Matters e-newsletter as well as media relations. Experience working in daily news media and/or familiarity with Hawaii news organizations and reporters is strongly preferred. The communications specialist will report to HSTA Director of Communications Keoki Kerr and work in the Communications Department, which includes HSTA Media Specialist Chris Schubert. Read the position description and apply by Nov. 12. Mark your calendar for Teacher Institute Day  Teacher Institute Day began in the 1960s as a day for teachers to meet and work on school-related issues. In 1972, HSTA negotiated this important time into the contract to guard against it being taken away.  In the early years, the Association used Teacher Institute Day to inform teachers about negotiations, lobbying, political action and grievance processing.  As time progressed, HSTA introduced workshops to help teachers with their jobs and personal concerns such as retirement and health care. Teacher Institute Day is the single largest professional development day on the school calendar, covering a variety of topics – for professional and personal growth – and featuring noteworthy keynote speakers.  In 2017, the focus of Institute Day was to inform teachers about negotiations and their contract.  Thousands of teachers united and rallied and made their voices heard at the State Capitol. As a result of strong collective action across the state that spring, the HSTA negotiated a nearly 14 percent pay hike over four years. As a professional day, it is a workday and teacher attendance is expected. Here are the dates by island:                Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, Oahu                             Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, Hawaii Island                     Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, Kauai                             Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, Molokai                      Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, Maui and Lanai           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. 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