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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2391 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that average salaries for teachers in Hawaii generally fall in the middle of national rankings of teachers' pay. However, once the salaries of teachers in the State are adjusted for the cost of living, they are the lowest-paid in the nation. The national average salary for all teachers stands at approximately $30,086, when cost of living is considered. However, the average starting salary for teachers in Hawaii is $24,409, when adjusted for cost of living.
Furthermore, the legislature finds that close to half of teachers in Hawaii are leaving the profession or the State altogether within five years of starting, posing a significant problem for students. Slightly more than nine hundred teachers were hired in 2013, but as of 2018, fewer than four hundred seventy of them remained in the classroom. Within the last five years, the number of teachers leaving Hawaii has increased to seventy-one per cent. Only fifty-one per cent of teachers hired during the 2013-2014 school year were still teaching in Hawaii five years later, a decrease from fifty-four per cent during the previous year. As the State continues to address matters of teacher recruitment and retention, it is crucial to support current teachers now.
The purpose of this Act is to provide automatic step increases in teacher salaries for each year of satisfactory service completed, subject to funds appropriated by the legislature.
SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
(b)
Teachers who have served satisfactorily
for three years in their maximum increment step or in any longevity step
pursuant to section 302A-624 and have complied with the other requirements of
sections 302A-601.5 through 302A-642 and section 302A-701, as applicable,
shall be entitled to longevity step increases if negotiated into a collective
bargaining agreement under section 89-9, subject to subsection (c).
(c) Any collective bargaining agreement negotiated pursuant to section 89-9 that provides for annual increments or longevity step increases under this section and requires the expenditure of public funds shall be subject to funding by a specific appropriation enacted by the legislature. The collective bargaining agreement shall not be effective or enforceable unless the legislature appropriates sufficient funds for its implementation. The legislature may reject the collective bargaining agreement in whole by declining to appropriate the funds necessary to implement it."
SECTION 3. Chapter 302D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§302D- Salary
increases; annual, longevity. (a)
Teachers who have completed one year of
satisfactory service and complied with the requirements of this chapter that
pertain to the employment conditions and compensation for teachers, as deemed
applicable by their employing public charter school, shall be entitled to an
annual increment if negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement under
section 89-9, subject to subsection (c).
(b) Teachers who have served satisfactorily for
three years in their maximum increment step or in any longevity step, if any,
and have complied with the requirements of this chapter that pertain to the
employment conditions and compensation for teachers, as deemed applicable by
their employing public charter school, shall be entitled to longevity step
increases if negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement under section
89-9, subject to subsection (c).
(c) Any collective bargaining agreement negotiated pursuant to section 89-9 that provides for annual increments or longevity step increases under this section and requires the expenditure of public funds shall be subject to funding by a specific appropriation enacted by the legislature. The collective bargaining agreement shall not be effective or enforceable unless the legislature appropriates sufficient funds for its implementation. The legislature may reject the collective bargaining agreement in whole by declining to appropriate the funds necessary to implement it."
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on January 1, 2077.
Report Title:
Salaries; Teachers; Annual Increases
Description:
Provides annual salary step increases for public schools and public charter school teachers who have completed one year's satisfactory service and comply with specified requirements, if negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to section 89-9, HRS, and subject to funds appropriated by the Legislature. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD2)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.