Posted 10-5-2018: Pay raises soon; VOTE FOR HAWAII TEACHERS $100,000 Dream Big Grant! Oahu Con Am canvassing tomorrow; Have a great fall break; Vote for 3 Hawaii teachers who could win $100K grants Inbox x

Reminder: Pay increases coming soon 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 they will see each month.  That pay increase will show up starting with their 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.  The Con Am campaign needs your people power tomorrow on Oahu  Oahu teachers: Join your fellow teachers and volunteers from our community partner organizations for Saturday morning canvassing in support of the constitutional amendment tomorrow! We will bring voting lists, and Constitutional Amendment cards to pass out as you talk to voters, Just bring yourself, your members, friends, and family and we will provide the rest. WHEN: This Saturday, Oct. 6, meet at 8:30 a.m., canvass from 9 to 11 a.m. WHAT: Mass Canvassing to rally support to VOTE YES, on the Constitutional Amendment to create additional funding for our public schools WHERE: Farrington High School. Meet in the Ewa parking lot fronting library, on the corner of King and Kalihi Streets. The principal has graciously allowed us to park in the Ewa Parking lot, as well as along Vance Drive behind A-Bldg. Coffee, snacks, bottled water and a lunch bento will be provided. Wear your red HSTA t-shirts bring smart phones and a car charger! Lots has happened on the Con Am front this week. Take a look: Teachers at schools on across the state held walk-ins and sign waving events Tuesday, garnering lots of positive news coverage. Click here for photos submitted from those schools. Watch this news conference held by HSTA President Corey Rosenlee and leaders of parent/teacher groups who are supporting the constitutional amendment. Read these responses to Con Am critics crafted by Parents for Public Schools of Hawaii in conjunction with the HSTA. Read this pro-Con Am op ed written by Kona teacher Toni Reynolds that was published in the West Hawaii Today. Read this op ed by UH West Oahu Professor Lawrence Boyd that was published in Civil Beat. Watch this video of a Civil Beat Con Am debate with the head of the Hawaii Children's Action Network and HSTA President Corey Rosenlee explaining why voters should say YES to the Con Am. Watch this short video from State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro about why she's supporting the Con Am. Mahalo to those of who sent in photos of the rundown, broken facilities in which we try to teach students. We sent some of those images to the media this week, and we're using some in our paid media campaign to help pass the constitutional amendment that would bring in a new source of badly needed revenue for our schools. But we could still use more! Send photos that clearly show broken, dangerous or badly damaged school buildings, furniture and equipment to info@hsta.org. Photos that need no explanation, like those shown here or in the video below.  Click here to watch the video Protect yourself and don't send images of bad facilities that give away the location of your school. Send us a couple of photos and maybe a quick, 10-second video to info@hsta.org. Mahalo!  We hope you have an enjoyable fall break and thank some of you in advance for continuing to volunteer for our recommended candidates and to advocate for the constitutional amendment and against the constitutional convention. We will not send out a Member Matters e-newsletter next Friday, since most of you will want to disconnect from the world a bit next week. But if there are urgent developments, we certainly will email you. 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 are being delivered! Your new membership cards that should arrive soon in your home mailbox. 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. Leeward Chapter, Campbell High active with election efforts HSTA Leeward Chapter members are supporting endorsed candidates State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro and Gov. David Ige through sign-waving efforts in Nanakuli and Honokai Hale. Chapter members are encouraged to follow the new Leeward Facebook page as well as Leeward Chapter officers' and Government Relations Committee Chairs' Facebook pages for event information. HSTA's Campbell High crew met early Thursday morning for an information and planning session over coffee and muffins. A total of 23 faculty representatives and members showed up to discuss sign waving schedules and canvassing efforts. Campbell is on the move! New educators: Check out these free webinars! HSTA’s Support Hawaii’s New Educators (SHiNE) Program is excited to announce two upcoming webinars for new educators: NEA Webinar:  Preparing for my parent-teacher conferences October 11 from 8 - 9 p.m. EST (2 to 3 p.m. Hawaii time) (these webinars are also recorded for easy reference) Hear from educators’ experiences on conducting effective and welcoming parent-teacher conferences to encourage family involvement in your classroom and promote positive outcomes for your students. Register here 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  No Kid Hungry Breakfast After the Bell fellowship applications due Oct. 8 All students deserve a nutritious breakfast, but not all of them have access to one. That is why the NEA Foundation is partnering with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to provide resources and training to educators to implement a breakfast after the bell program in their school. Breakfast after the bell programs increase access to a nutritious breakfast by maximizing convenience and overcoming barriers to participation. Through these programs, breakfasts are directly delivered to classrooms, distributed via centrally located kiosks, or served during an extended break typically offered between first and second periods.  Through this 10-month fellowship, educators will: · work with their schools to design and implement a program to feed students after the bell rings; ·  receive in-person and online training and support to get their program up and running; ·  present their work at their NEA state or local conference or meeting; ·  engage with other educators from across the country. Fellows will receive $1,000 stipend for their time and energy and up to $3,000 for their school site to purchase equipment (including coolers and/or hotboxes, grab n’ go kiosks, trashcans, recycling bins, and cleaning supplies). To apply for the Breakfast After The Bell fellowship and for more information, CLICK HERE  HMSA members: Over fall break, take this health survey for a chance to win one of 10 $500 gift cards Enter this contest for HSTA EUTF Active and Retiree members, and find out how healthy you are and what your "real age" is.  By registering on the app and taking a health survey, you will be eligible to win one of ten $500 VISA gift cards.  When you register for Sharecare, link your HMSA subscriber ID number and take the RealAgeTest by October 31, 2018, you're eligible to win. Register for HMSA ShareCare and take the survey by Oct. 31. Apply now! Credit union doubles teacher grant program The Hawaii State Federal Credit Union is doubling to $40,000 its annual Investing in Education program for public school teachers in Hawaii. DOE teachers are invited to submit their applications requesting grants to purchase supplies, books, furniture, electronic gear and classroom activities. The deadline is Oct. 31 or whenever all of the grant money has been disbursed. You must be a member of the credit union to apply. Click here for more information on Hawaii State FCU's teacher grant program. You must be a member of the credit union to apply. Eligible applicants are asked to submit an essay outlining how the grant will help them achieve classroom goals. Grant recipients will be awarded funds between $200 and $500 based on classroom needs. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply now!

Celebrate diversity at Pride Parade Oct. 20 HSTA's new website is here; Members, please register for members-only content HSTA.org has undergone a major makeover! If you have not registered for web access since the website went live on July 18, 2018, you will need to go through a quick web registration process. Because it is a totally new site, you have to re-register. Registering on our site (same address — hsta.org) is simple and should only take a few minutes. After submitting your web registration request, an HSTA staff member will verify that you are an active member. That’s when you will receive a confirmation email granting you access to the new website. Verification of membership will be carried out during business hours, but most information on the website is available without the need to sign in. Maintaining accurate access to our members-only areas is important to us, and we hope you will understand our need to verify membership before granting that access. Read more about features of our new website, and members-only benefits once you register.                      Do you have the best insurance protection and value? With hurricane season upon us and many in our communities affected by recent severe weather events, it’s natural to ask ourselves what we value and whether we are properly protected from life’s uncertainties.  As HSTA’s selected auto, home, condo, and renters insurance partner, Island Insurance has been committed to helping Hawaii residents with insurance for almost 80 years. Now one of the nation’s Top 50 P&C insurers, Island is Always Here to Help HSTA members with the insurance and value that’s right for you. Let us help you review your auto, home, condo, renters, hurricane and flood insurance to make sure you are protected and see if there are any opportunities to improve your coverages or the value of your policies.  Please feel free to contact one of our friendly, licensed, local agents at your earliest convenience.  Call: 643-4000 HSTA members press #1, then #1 (mention you are an HSTA member) Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Click: islandinsurance.com/HSTA (select HSTA Group) Email or Text: HSTA @islandinsurance.com As an HSTA member, you could also benefit from special group savings and an exclusive offer: HSTA Group Auto Insurance Island’s lowest group rates are reserved for HSTA members like you with savings up to 23% more than the general public.  HSTA GoLow Auto Insurance GoLow Auto Insurance is Island’s basic, no-frills auto insurance policy with just enough coverage to keep you on the go and your car on the road. HSTA Bundled Savings Combine your auto insurance with a home, condo, or renters policy means you could qualify for even better savings and a wider range of discounts like these Multi-Policy Discounts: 18% off Personal Auto Policy $50 off per Eligible Vehicle 10% off Home, Condo or Renters Policy HSTA Offer You could win an Amazon Echo Show voice-activated smart home touchscreen and speaker when you receive an auto insurance quote by November 16.  Some restrictions apply. Rates and savings vary depending on prior insurance, driving history, coverage limits, and other factors. The GoLowSM quote is based on $20,000/$40,000 bodily injury liability, $20,000/$40,000 uninsured motorists/underinsured motorists, $10,000 property damage liability, and $10,000 personal injury protection coverages. Towing & labor and rental car reimbursement are available at no extra charge only when comprehensive and/or collision coverage(s) are purchased. HSTA rates are available only to current HSTA members. No purchase necessary. Limit one gift/prize per household per year. Amazon Echo Show offer ends 11/16/18. Thinking about retirement and have these questions? Which ERS Pension option do I take? How do I maximize my Social Security benefit? Do I have enough put away for retirement? Do I need long-term care insurance? Come to a complimentary dinner or lunch seminar called “Are You on Track to Retire?” designed for those within 5-10 years of retirement. "ARE YOU ON TRACK TO RETIRE?" SEMINAR NEIGHBOR ISLAND DATES NOW OPEN! KAUAI: Thursday, Oct. 11, 5 p.m. at Ho’okipa Café at Puakea Golf Course RSVP by 10/3/18: http://bit.ly/2wuihvH or call (808) 951-7185, x11 HILO: Friday, Oct. 26, 5:30 p.m. at Hilo Hawaiian RSVP by 10/16/18:  http://bit.ly/2N1rHJf or call (808) 951-7185, x19 Sponsored by NEA Retirement Specialists. This is an HSTA benefit for HSTA members, but no HSTA monies are used for this event. Degrees Not Debt: Nov. 15 from 4-6 p.m. at Baldwin High Multipurpose Room 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  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com Have college loans deferred or canceled! The feds have designated the following subjects as teacher shortage areas, meaning Hawaii public school educators who teach these subjects could qualify to have their student loans deferred or canceled: Career and Technical Education Language Arts -- English Mathematics Science Special Education World Languages World Languages -- Hawaiian World Languages -- Hawaiian Immersion Here are the details of several programs that offer loan deferrals or loan cancellation, as well as contact information. Degrees not Debt is a student loan forgiveness workshop presented by NEA Member Benefits that focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their Federal Loans forgiven. This workshop also covers the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal Loans. Save these dates for the next Degrees Not Debt workshops: November 15 on Maui at Baldwin High Multipurpose room -- 4 to 6 p.m. Please RSVP by November 10  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com November 16  on Oahu (Virtual) at HSTA HQ -- time, other details to be announced. The Oahu workshop will be available by via video conference to members statewide who register in advance. 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