“We believe this investment will result in a better work environment, greater levels of job satisfaction, superior teacher and principal retention rates, and, most of all, significantly improved student achievement in the zones and at the Hawaii School for the
HONOLULU — Hawaii teachers in schools targeted by Race to the Top reforms approved an agreement for extended learning time, a key element of a $75 million grant that the U.S. Department of Education has said is at risk of being lost.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association said 80 percent of teachers in Waianae and Nanakuli on Oahu and Kau, Keaau and Pahoa on the Big Island, voted in favor of the agreement Monday. The schools are in low-income, low-performing zones that would be most affected by Race to the Top reforms. Teachers at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind in Honolulu were also included in the vote.
The plan calls for one hour more per day, Monday through Thursday, and 12 additional days of teacher training. That would result in about 18 percent more in compensation for the extra time, union officials said.
“The extended learning time agreement in our zone schools is a win for students who will get much needed additional learning time, while fairly compensating teachers for their work,” said Wil Okabe, union president.
Teachers who don’t want the extra time have an option to transfer out of the zones, Okabe said.
“We believe this investment will result in a better work environment, greater levels of job satisfaction, superior teacher and principal retention rates, and, most of all, significantly improved student achievement in the zones and at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind,” said Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe. —AP
