Above: Members of HSTA's Maui Chapter pose for a shot from a drone inside the Maui High gym on Thursday.

HSTA Institute: You Are the Union!

Thousands of teachers from across the state turned out this week for Teacher Institute events where they learned more about the many benefits of HSTA membership, heard about the victories of HSTA over the years from Joan Husted, one of our founders, and received rousing calls to action from HSTA President Corey Rosenlee.

Above: The HSTA's Molokai Chapter gathered at Molokai High's cafeteria for this year's Institute program on Wednesday.

Thanks to all of you who voted in state and chapter elections during Institute. Ballots will be counted by the HSTA Elections Committee at the HSTA Honolulu Office on February 24, beginning at 9 a.m.Observers are welcome. State office winners will be announced once they have been certified by the HSTA's Board of Directors. Chapter office winners will be released once they have been certified by their chapter's executive board.

If you registered at Institute, you're still eligible for HSTA's iPad contest

Member Matters iPad contest code: IREADMEMBERMATTERS

During Institute Week, teachers across the state had the opportunity to enter to win one of three iPads and three HSTA prize packs. Teachers must be active members of HSTA and have registered at their respective Institute Day locations to win. You can still enter the contest now by clicking the link below and completing some of the ways to enter on the contest page. Don’t forget to use the Member Matters code above to earn five entries! Answer four multiple choice questions about HSTA for more entries.The more items you complete, the greater your chances are for winning! The contest ends Friday, Feb. 23 at 11:59 p.m.

Click here to enter! bit.ly/institutecontest2018

Please take one minute to send an electronic testimony card to lawmakers; Just fill in your name and address and we'll do the rest

We need one minute of your time to make sure we adequately fund Hawaii’s public schools. Last year, HSTA’s constitutional amendment to fund Hawaii’s public schools got nearly 4,000 pieces of testimony from our members. Unfortunately, the bill died in conference committee. Still, almost all legislators had voted for it, and teachers are a persistent group. All we are asking for is that the people of Hawaii get a chance to vote on whether they want to increase public funding for education. So we're asking you to submit an electronic testimony card with this language:
RE: Hawaii’s public schools are chronically underfunded, leading to teacher shortages, large class sizes, and a failure to prepare our special needs students. I am asking you to support SB 2922 and HB 2608 to build the schools our keiki deserve by supporting a Constitutional Amendment that would allow the Legislature to fund a quality public education for all of Hawaii’s children, including the recruitment and retention of teachers, public preschools, lower class sizes, special education programming, career and technical education, art, music, Hawaiian studies, Hawaiian language instruction, and after school programs by establishing a surcharge on visitor accommodations and residential investment property valued at one million dollars or greater, excluding a homeowner’s primary residence, as provided by law.

Could you take a minute to click this link and fill out your senator and representative's names (there's a drop down and an easy enter-your-address-find-your-lawmaker-link), your name and home address (important so lawmakers know you are a constituent) and we'll deliver the cards to lawmakers! Mahalo for again working together to ask legislators to fund a quality public education for all of Hawaii’s children.

The link is also available at: bit.ly/hstaconam2018

Mahalo,
Mitzie Higa
HSTA Government Relations Specialist

EUTF's just-released 2018 rates; Find the best plan for you and your family

The Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (more commonly known as EUTF) provides medical, chiropractic, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to all eligible State of Hawaii, City and County employees and retirees. Each year, the EUTF holds an open enrollment period allowing for employees to modify their plan enrollments.

Please see this chart for the EUTF and HSTA VB Health Benefit Premium Rates effective July 1, 2018. It is in every member’s best interest to analyze the health plans available and decide which plan(s) best meet member's and their family’s health care needs, taking cost and coverage into consideration. To help you with your decision, EUTF holds open enrollment informational sessions. HSTA understands how difficult it is for our members to attend these sessions as most of them happen during the work day. Therefore, HSTA has invited EUTF to participate in a Facebook live presentation on March 27.

Last chance to sign up for Spring 2018 professional development courses

Course registration closes tomorrow, Saturday, February 17! Make sure you take advantage of our HSTA member’s only price of $150. These 3 credit PD courses are created and taught by members for members. Check out all our great classes athttps://pd.hsta.org/courses/?search=.

We offer great online courses like:

Effective School-Community Collaboration (Online)
This 3-PD credit online course is offered by the HSTA in partnership with the NEA Foundation. In this HSTA Teacher Leadership course focused on Domain 6 of the Teacher Leader Model Standards (Improving Outreach and Collaboration with Families and Community), participants will review the benefits of effective school-community collaboration and plan their own school-community event. By the end of the course, the teacher leader will understand the impact that families, cultures and communities have on student learning and look for ways to lead successful partnerships between all stakeholders.

Global Education: Tools and Approaches for Teacher Leaders
This 3-PD credit online course is offered by the HSTA in partnership with the NEA Foundation. In this HSTA Teacher Leadership course focused on Domain 4 (Facilitating Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning) and Domain 7 (Advocating for Student Learning and the Profession), participants will work collaboratively with fellow colleagues to improve instructional practices and advocate for the teaching profession for policies that benefit student learning.

Signing up 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. Payment MUST be made by Saturday, February 18, 2018
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

Maui teacher appeals for leave sharing as she fights cancer

Aloha,

My name is Zayna Stoycoff and I’m a teacher at Lokelani Intermediate school on Maui. I live in beautiful Kihei with my husband, and my daughter Holland, who is eight. In October 2017, I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. To date I’ve had three surgeries, and I’m anticipating a minimum of two more. I’m currently undergoing a very strong regimen of chemotherapy, which has left me pretty much bedridden. This will be followed by radiation. Due to the nature of the treatments, my doctors have strongly suggested that I stay home for work. I’ve been off work without pay since October, and will not be returning until next school year. I’d love to be able to concentrate on healing, but unfortunately I have to worry about supporting my family. This illness has been a tremendous financial hardship for us. I’m humbly asking for any leave donations, that you are comfortable sharing with me. It will be greatly appreciated, and payed forward when I’m back on my feet.

Please contact my SASA to process leave sharing information:
Alicia L. Viernes (Alicia_Viernes/LOKELANI/HIDOE@notes.k12.hi.us)
Lokelani Intermediate School
(808) 727-3310

Mahalo!

Join HSTA Speakers Bureau and speak out for education; Training Wednesday, Feb. 28

Help bring the message of Schools Our Keiki Deserve to the Hawaii Legislature, Board of Education and our community! Join HSTA Speakers Bureau and get trained right away in crafting testimony, media outreach and community organizing. We have immediate openings for a one-day training session on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at HSTA's Oahu headquarters. Breakfast, lunch and neighbor island transportation provided, plus release time from school is available. Priority for spaces will be given to anyone who has NOT already participated in a session. Sign up by Saturday, Feb. 17, at: http://bit.ly/hstasbspring

HSTA Social Justice Summit March 3; Register now!

Hear from panelists including Bo Frank, the parent of transgender student who began identifying as a girl at age 6 to talk about the difficulties transgender youth and their families face; Mara Pike from Mental Health America, who will talk about anti-bullying efforts, Rebecca Liebowitz from the New Mexico Law Center who will address the challenges of undocumented youth and the DACA program, plus Kathryn Xain from the Pacific Association to Stop Slavery, who will talk about human trafficking.

From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Waialua teacher Glenn Lee finalist for $1 million prize

From NEA Today: ‘We, as a country, need to do more to end these senseless shootings’ says NEA president

HawaiiUSA credit union stipend available: Apply now

The 2018 Stipend Application Form is now available on HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union's website for any interested DOE Professional or Para-Professionals. www.hawaiiusafcu.com/stipend
Any member you know who has taken/completed any classes that helped further their career development may apply. Postmarked deadline to apply is March 16, 2018.
Proceeds are derived from the Annual HawaiiUSA FCU Golf Tournament.

For more details, they may also contact Hawaii DOE PDE3: (Kevin Okazaki (808) 441-8327)

HSTA VEBA open enrollment

The Membership Services Committee would like to remind you that it is open enrollment time for Critical Illness Insurance and Basic Plus Life Insurance from HSTA VEBA Benefits during the month of February.

The VEBA Trust is also offering any teacher to enroll in their first VEBA benefit FREE Basic Long Term Care Insurance! That's right; your premium will be covered and paid for as long as you are an HSTA member. It's a great time to sign up for your first benefit!

Nominate a Hawaii teacher for the prestigious STACY award

Each year, each NEA affiliate nominates one outstanding educator for the NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. These prestigious awards recognize, reward and promote excellence in both teaching and advocacy for the profession. They also honor public education and the dedicated members of the National Education Association. HSTA gives our state-level winner the STACY Award, in memory of the beloved late HSTA Deputy Executive Director Stacy Nishina, a former public school teacher from Kauai.

Nominate a Hawaii teacher for an NEA Foundation Award by Feb. 26

Subscribe to and follow HSTA's social media accounts

Be sure to subscribe to HSTA's YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram for the latest videos, photos and news about our Association and public schools in Hawaii.