THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU — Hawaii public school teachers are preparing to vote on a proposed six-year contract to end a labor dispute that has contributed to placing a $75 million Race to the Top grant on “high-risk” status.
Members of the Hawaii State Teachers Association will vote Thursday on a proposal that includes moving to a performance-based compensation system next year. Under the proposed contract teachers, along with other public workers, will continue to see a 5 percent pay cut.
After June 30, 2013, teachers would move to a new salary schedule that recognizes their years of service with the Department of Education and move to a revised teacher evaluation system. Teachers rated “effective” or “highly effective” would be eligible for 1 percent “step” increases annually.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Education admonished Hawaii for “unsatisfactory” performance in fulfilling its Race to the Top promises. This is the first time the department has placed under such a status a state that won dollars distributed in the high-profile competition.
The contest is a signature education initiative under the Obama administration, which has used it to encourage states to enact changes it supports.
Hawaii officials have said some reforms have been slowed by a labor dispute between the state and the union. The two sides had reached a conceptual agreement before Hawaii was announced as a winner to tie half of a teacher’s evaluation to education gains made by students.
But the union currently is embroiled in a prohibited practice complaint it lodged with the state labor relations board against the state. The union claims the state violated members’ rights by implementing its “last, best and final” contract offer over the summer.
Earlier this month an “agreement in principle” was announced.
About 100 teachers attended an informational meeting Tuesday with union leaders. There were mixed feelings among teachers about the proposed contract.
“We’d really like a contract,” said Waikiki Elementary second-grade teacher Catherine Cain, “but the bottom line is we want fair and equitable teacher evaluations.”
Details weren’t clear yet on how progress will be measured and how teachers will be judged.
Kauai High School counselor Charles Fulks said he was skeptical over whether the state could come up with a fair way to evaluate teachers.
Inga Park Okuna, a counselor at Kalihi Uka Elementary, said she’ll vote in favor of the deal.
“If they’re saying this is the best we can get, then I’m going with that,” she said. “I’d rather have things settled.”
