hsta updates : Member Matters: Speak out at Kapolei ESSA town hall July 27; Deadline, penalties for teaching with no license; Vote absentee for HSTA candidates, 7-22-2016

Governor's ESSA town hall meetings begin Wednesday, July 27 in Kapolei

The first town hall meeting of Gov. David Ige's Every Student Succeeds Act task force happens this Wed., Aug. 27, at Kapolei High School from 6 to 8 p.m. We know this is teachers' second day preparing for class and it's an extremely busy time of year, but we'd like to encourage all teachers in the Leeward area to attend the meeting and speak out.

There are only two teachers on the 19-member task force, which is working to come up with recommendations to improve education in Hawaii and adjust to the new federal education law that was approved in late 2015. So HSTA would like to make sure the others on the task force hear compelling stories from the classroom front lines by people in the best position to know what needs to change at the Department of Education: public school teachers.

For a complete list of the town halls and to register, click here

The other eight town halls have had some of their dates and times change since they were originally announced in May. Please make time to show up and be heard at the upcoming ESSA meetings nearest you.

Aug. 10, 6 to 8 p.m., Kalani High School, Oahu
Aug. 17, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Kealakehe High School, Hawaii Island
Aug. 24, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Waiakea High School, Hawaii Island
Aug. 24., 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, Kauai
Aug. 27, 1 to 3 p.m., Molokai High School, Molokai
Sept. 7, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Maui High School, Maui
Sept. 7, 6 to 8 p.m. Castle High School, Oahu
Sept. 14., 6 to 8 p.m., Moanalua High School, Oahu

ESSA Call To Action: tell the feds what you think using this easy link

Mahalo to the hundreds of teachers who participated in recent discussions of the new federal law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, at town halls and an education summit earlier this month. Besides showing up at the governor's ESSA town halls that begin next week, we need your help to send in some quick comments to the federal government about ESSA.

The U.S. Department of Education is writing rules and regulations for ESSA that many people feel violate the intention of the law as expressed by its sponsors in Congress. These proposed rules and regulations would restore and reproduce the punitive test-and-punish educational culture from the previous No Child Left Behind law. Policy leaders at the state level need the autonomy to begin to create the schools our children deserve, with rich, full curricula and attention to the whole child.

Please add your voice to the discussion!

The NEA has developed sample language and an easy way to submit your comments.

Feel free to modify these ESSA talking points and submit them to the federal government.

Teacher license and permit deadline announced; $500 fines can be imposed

As the next school year approaches, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board has set the deadlines for all teachers to secure their licenses or permits.

All actively employed public school teachers, counselors and librarians hired by the first school day of the fall semester must have their appropriate licenses or permits by Sept. 30.

Those hired by the first day of the spring semester must obtain their licenses and permits by March 31, 2017.

Under state law, a penalty of $500 will be imposed immediately on the above mentioned dates to any person teaching (including counselors and librarians) in a DOE or Charter School without the proper license or permit. A $500 fine per employee will also immediately be assessed to DOE or Charter School principals who knowingly allowed those employees to teach without the proper license or permit.

Please contact Christina Simpson at 586-2619 if you have any questions about the deadline and/or penalties.

The HTSB's policy changes are detailed in this document.

Primary absentee ballots mailed out; HSTA candidate recommendations

The state Office of Elections mailed absentee ballots for the Primary Election to thousands of voters across the state this week. Neighbor island voters were expected to receive their absentee ballots as of Tuesday and ballots should have arrived in mailboxes of Oahu voters by Thursday or Friday.

Please support the candidates who have supported HSTA, public school teachers and students. Remember that we have recommended Colleen Hanabusa in the race for the 1st Congressional district, which encompasses urban Honolulu and surrounding areas. Please see the link to HSTA’s other candidate recommendations.

Primary Election Day is Saturday, Aug. 13. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Aug. 6. We recommend you mail back your completed absentee ballot by Aug. 10 to ensure it arrives in time to be counted. Otherwise, you can drop off your completed ballot at any polling place or county clerk’s office on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Read the list of HSTA's recommended primary election candidates

Know your back-to-school prep rights

Remember that under HSTA’s contract, only two of teachers’ first four work days (without students) are for administration. The other two “shall be for teacher-initiated activities.” That means on those two teacher-initiated work days, teachers are not required to attend IEPs or departmental meetings.

If teachers are interested in being actively involved in HSTA at their school or chapter level, please contact your chapter president or UniServ Director. This involvement can be included as part of your EES Core Professionalism.

All BU05 members are welcome to attend the first Representative Assemblies of the new school year for their chapters. Check with your chapter presidents and school level leaders for specific dates, times and locations of those meetings, most of which take place in August.

HSTA specialist wins national student organizing award

Congratulations to HSTA instruction and professional development specialist James Lynch-Urbaniak, who won a national award from the NEA this summer as outstanding state student organizer. Lynch-Urbaniak worked with students and new-to-the-profession teachers from across the state in the last year to start Hawaii Young Professional Educators, known as HYPE.

“Really this honor goes to the fantastic student leaders who helped create HYPE and strengthen our NEA student program last year,” Lynch-Urbaniak said.

In her letter nominating him for the national award, Kaitlyn Cleveland, last school year's HSTA student representative wrote, "Without James the HSTA student program would not exist. James gives student leaders the knowledge, tools and assistance they need to make a difference in their communities. He is a superstar!"

Already a national trainer for NEA, Lynch-Urbaniak was a presenter this week for a national webinar called “Let’s Rock# New Educator Cohort: How to Organize Local New Educator Groups.”

He has been a UniServ Director at HSTA for the last six years and before that was a language arts teacher at Ilima Intermediate School from 2007 and 2010.

HSTA disconnecting little-used toll-free numbers

The toll-free numbers for neighbor island teachers to call or fax to the HSTA Honolulu office or to call and fax from Molokai and Lanai to the HSTA Maui office will no longer be available starting Sept. 1.

Call data provided by the phone company showed that infrequent use, and non-use in some cases, did not justify the cost to maintain those lines.