Keeping Teachers in Hawaii

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It now takes 10 years for a new teacher to be vested in the retirement system here. That makes it very easy for teachers with between 1 and 4 years in the system to just walk away, because they are still pretty far from being vested. I have seen a steady stream of young teachers from the mainland come and go, many of them left because of the shallow dating pool for young professionals, or because their spouse or partner cannot find professional jobs here. Middle aged teachers like me leave because of needing to care for parents on the mainland, or the pull of being nearer to grandchildren. Teachers with older spouses, or spouses with health issues often leave in search of better health care. For the cost of living, especially on the more expensive Islands, teachers in Hawaii are paid far less than their mainland counterparts.


Carol