Senate overwhelmingly approves sending HSTA ConAm to voters
The State Senate Tuesday approved a bill to ask voters to decide this fall whether the state should be empowered to impose a surcharge on residential investment properties to help fund public education. The Senate’s 23 to one vote in favor of the Constitutional Amendment proposal comes after members of the State House unanimously approved the bill April 10. Watch the 23-minute HSTA Facebook Live with all but one senator expressing their support for our proposal and answering criticisms of the surcharge.“Every year we say education is a priority, but we don’t do enough to improve chronic under funding of public education while Hawaii’s children are falling behind and schools struggle to prepare students for 21st century jobs,” said Corey Rosenlee, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. “We need to reinvest in our public schools to make Hawaii more competitive in attracting good paying jobs and ensuring that our keiki have the skills they need to compete in the worldwide economy.”  Mahalo to the thousands of HSTA members who signed testimony cards in favor of the proposal, emailed testimony to lawmakers, testified in person or showed up at the Capitol wearing red for key committee hearings and votes. Thanks also go to members of HSTA's Board of Directors, Government Relations Committee and Speakers Bureau for extra effort on this important measure this year. “The intent of both the State Senate and House has been that this surcharge would not apply to owner-occupants but instead is aimed at investment properties worth $1 million or more,” Rosenlee added. “Trump Towers was able to quickly sell out more than 400 units, with some condos selling for more than $10 million. Many wealthy people are using these properties to pad their own wealth. If these rich out-of-state investors can afford multi-million dollar properties, they can afford to pay taxes to help educate Hawaii’s children.” As a result of lawmakers’ votes, the measure for a Constitutional Amendment will automatically be on the ballot for Hawaii voters to decide in the general election on Nov. 6. If a majority of voters approves the amendment, next year’s Legislature will set up the details of how the surcharge will be implemented, including any exemptions lawmakers may want to add. Read HSTA's complete news release about the ConAm approval.The Associated Press wire service picked up our ConAm victory, which ran in news outlets across the country, including this story from the Fresno Bee newspaper.Listen to HSTA President Corey Rosenlee interviewed live on Hawaii Public Radio's The Conversation program Wednesday, answering criticisms of the ConAm by representatives of the Tax Foundation and the Hawaii Association of Realtors.Every caller who participated in this radio program supported our proposal, including teachers from Maui and Oahu.
HSTA helps Hanalei teachers, students affected by flooding
HSTA will donate $200 checks to the Hanalei Elementary teachers whose classrooms were badly damaged by floods and to the teachers who are teaching students at a temporary location. Until the end of the school year, than 50 students will be taught at a resort along Kuhio Highway, which has been blocked by multiple landslides and flood damage. HSTA will also contribute $1,000 to the Hanalei Elementary PSTA to help with recovery costs.
 Above: Teachers, staff, parents and volunteers from the community worked for days to clean up Hanalei Elementary to make it a safe place to learn and teach again. Mahalo to our 14 Hanalei Elementary teachers for putting on their work boots and spending lots of time cleaning and working at the school under trying conditions. Your commitment to our keiki is amazing!
Are you one of 1,400 teachers whose license expires this year?
The Hawaii Teachers Standards Board (HTSB) has asked the HSTA to remind members that teachers need to renew their licenses in a timely manner. As of mid-April, there are approximately 1,400 teachers whose licenses will expire this year, so they need to take action before June 30, 2018. Failure to hold a valid license may result in a fine of up to $500. If your license expires on June 30, 2018, you must login to your HTSB account between January 2 and June 29, 2018, and complete your renewal process. Here is the link to the HTSB. You are strongly encouraged to renew early in the renewal period, as you must allow for processing time. Renewals submitted after June 29, 2018, may not be processed in the event of unexpected issues.
Under the HSTA collective bargaining agreement (contract) Appendix IX- Licensing Fees, teachers who qualify shall have their licensing fees paid by the employer. Tenured teachers who have an evaluation rating of “effective” or “highly effective” and submit a request to the HTSB to have the employer pay the fee (on or before the date the fee is due) will qualify for this benefit. If educators fail to meet these requirements, they will forfeit the benefit of payment of the annual license fee and will be personally responsible for the fee payment.
All others must login to their HTSB account and pay their own license and permit fees. A $25 late fee shall be assessed if not paid by the due date. Refunds for license fees you have already paid cannot be refunded by HTSB. If you have questions for HTSB send a message to them using your account Contact HTSB tab or call the HTSB office at 808-586-2600.
HSTA hosts SPED Task Force Facebook live
HSTA appointees to Superintendent Christina Kishimoto's Special Education Program Review Task Force have been working with other stakeholders including representatives from DOE, HGEA, parents and the community to present the superintendent with a series of special education recommendations. The recommendation process is nearly complete and the HSTA representatives briefed our members on the work during a Facebook Live on Tuesday. Watch the 23-minute HSTA SPED Task Force Facebook Live.Members wrote us a number of questions on Facebook after the live presentation and Q and A. See the comments section on our HSTA Facebook page under the recording of the briefing. When the schools superintendent releases her SPED plan of action next month based on the recommendations of the task force, the HSTA will release those details to our members.
Read and comment on draft secondary Social Studies standards by April 30
A draft of revised secondary Social Studies standards has been completed by teams of Hawaii teachers and content experts in the field to ensure the most up-to-date pedagogy and scholarship. Teachers were crucial to the work creating these draft standards, the first update in 13 years.
To directly access information and links to the draft standards, please copy bit.ly/SSReviewWelcome into the address bar of your web browser. To view this information from the Hawaii State Department of Education’s website, please paste http://hawaiipublicschools.org into the address bar of your browser. The link to the standards review is contained on the front page under the heading titled, “Draft Secondary Social Studies Standards open for public review through April.”
The review process goes through April 30. There are eight courses (6-12) available for review on Google Forms and no limit to the number of courses a person can review. The surveys were designed to encourage comprehensive input within the survey. The data will be provided to the Secondary Social Studies Standards Review Team for their consideration. The DOE seeks broad input from both teachers and the public, so please share the link with family, friends and colleagues. Read more about the secondary draft Social Studies standards
Health coverage Open Enrollment ends Monday!
The Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, more commonly known as the 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 starting Monday, which allows employees to modify their plan enrollments. Read EUTF’s open enrollment flier here Watch the HSTA-EUTF Open Enrollment presentation on HSTA's Facebook page. (You can read questions and responses here too)Watch the HSTA-EUTF Open Enrollment presentation on HSTA's YouTube Channel.The open enrollment period for EUTF health plans began Monday, April 2 and runs through Monday, April 30. Click here for more information about Open Enrollment. What are the new rates and when do they go into effect?The new rates go into effect on July 1, 2018. Coverage dates are from Sunday, July 1, 2018 through to Sunday, June 30, 2019. Premium deduction amounts will come from paychecks starting Friday, July 20, 2017 through to Friday, July 5, 2018. The rates can be found in the links below. EUTF (Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund): https://eutf.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Active-Rates-Eff-July-1-2018-All-BUs-Except-12-s.pdfHSTA VB: https://eutf.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Active-Rates-Eff-July-1-2018-HSTA-VB-s.pdfWhat is the difference between the 2017 rates and 2018 rates?HSTA developed a comparison sheet for members use. Please note this comparison is an UPDATED version as EUTF officials have updated rates since they first provided HSTA numbers in January.Open Enrollment FAQs, including...
What is the difference between EUTF and HSTA VB plans?
Who can enroll in HSTA VB plans?
How are the EUTF premium rates determined?
What types of things should I take into consideration when selecting my plan?
What is meant by 75/25, 80/20, and 90/10 PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and HMO Plans?
What plan(s) am I currently on?
What do I need to do if I want to make a change?
Who can I contact if I have questions?Informational sessions throughout the state and webinars are being held throughout the month of April and last about an hour and a half. HSTA understands how difficult it is for our members to attend these sessions as most of them happen during the work day. So at our request, the EUTF added three webinar briefings after school from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on April 18 and 25. See 2018 EUTF Open Enrollment seminar times and locations here.
HSTA, NEA offer free justice circle training
 To address the need for professional development in restorative justice for its members, the National Education Association (NEA) has partnered with Advancement Project, HSTA and the Department of Education to offer a FREE restorative justice circle training Monday, June 4 - Thursday, June 7 on Oahu. This experiential training will provide attendees with an understanding of the circle process and its potential for building relationships within the school community; promoting healthy communication; preventing and resolving conflicts; developing social emotional learning and youth competencies; and creating safe spaces to address difficult issues, trauma and healing. Learn more and apply to attend restorative justice circle training by May 4.
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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.
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