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Monday, August 15, 2016
HSTA negotiations update: Read a proposal summary; Watch a video about our proposals; Take a compensation survey, 8-15-2016
Teachers are deeply committed to the success of every student.
HSTA’s negotiations team had our first meeting today with the employer and presented an ambitious set of proposals to give our keiki the schools they deserve and our members the contract they deserve. These proposals are based on hundreds of conversations we have had with our members and the thousands of responses we have received from HSTA’s surveys. Our current contract expires June 30, 2017.
Here are some of our proposals for the new contract:
Pay our teachers a decent, fair and professional salary
Teachers in Hawaii are underpaid and low pay has led to a teacher shortage crisis. As a result, the DOE is now allowing substitutes with only a high school degree to teach our children. This situation is not tolerable and must change.
Create an evaluation system that is meaningful, supportive and collaborative
The evaluation system must not be punitive, create extra workloads or unnecessary stress for our teachers. Educators must actually feel it improves their practice.
Reduce class size in regular education, special education and ELL courses
Class size is one of the most important factors affecting teaching and learning. We must allow our teachers to give our students the individual attention that they need and deserve.
Reduce the caseload for our special education teachers and provide more support for students with special needs
We must give our special education teachers the time they need to create and oversee IEPs for our students, thus ensuring that all children, regardless of their special needs, receive a quality education.
Increase the amount of time teachers have to collaborate and plan within the school day
Teachers have shared that they have insufficient time to complete all of the requirements placed on them, and research shows that good teaching requires adequate preparation time.
These are just a few of our proposals. There are many others, including fairness for charter schools, increased opportunities for professional development, increased teacher protection and more mentoring time for new teachers.
Negotiations are always about give and take, and as your union, we will do our best to advocate for you and our students. Tomorrow, in a spirit of unity, please wear red to school in the hope for quality contract improvements and as as demonstration of support for our team.
Thank you,
Paul Daugherty (Kona) Shannon Kaaa (Honolulu) Diane Mokuau (Molokai) Corey Rosenlee (HSTA president) Osa Tui (Honolulu)
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