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Came accross this article from August and thought some concidering the education of children might want to look into it.
Also teachers are desperately needed and the state is in jeopardy of loosing Federal monies.........and looking for ways to incent qualified instructors.
HONOLULU -- Only one in four Big Island schools has a full complement of highly qualified teachers, even though the state offers a $3,000 bonus for teachers taking the most hard-to-fill positions.
The state learned last week it failed a federal review and has been labeled a "high risk" state in danger of losing federal education grants. State education officials are scrambling to meet federal requirements,
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/arti...ocal03.txt
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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Teachers are treated VERY unprofessionally here. Examples:
The salary is ridiculously low. My husband took about a 40% cut in pay to come here. Hawaii does not recognize more than 6 years previous experience, so the most experienced and qualified teachers are not encouraged in any way. Additionally, he is charged for benefits like health insurance which was included as an additio to salary in California.
There is no job post for new hires. You come here, sit and wait for two days before school starts, when you receive a phone calll inviting you to an interview. We know of terachers hired for school in Kona when they live in Hilo. When one teacher complained she was told she would go to the "bottom of the list" for her next interview which could take several months.
My husband was recruited on the mainland and offered both the relocation bonus and the placement bonus. He was then assigned a school not on the hard to fill list so lost the placement bonus, and we are still wrestling with beurocracy for the relocation bonus.
Just our experience and that of the other new techers we have met this season. Hawaii has only ONE school district for the entire state, so there is no competition to set salary, fill positions, etc....
Maybe someone with umph will read this and give it some attention.
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Is the teachers' union contract on the web somewhere? I suspect some of Hawaii's problems are caused by the unions and also those that discriminate. Until a recent court ruling, applicants for some state/county jobs had to be Hawaii residents.
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The way I read this article is that the state is in real trouble here and about to loose federal monies for education grants. This is serious, and I hope someone is paying attention. I don't have children but this makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. This is neglect, pure and simple. Ok relax now Gracie. Aren't elections local coming up, has any one of the people wanting your vote even mentioned this crime? OKOKOK deep breath here!
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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Actually, HiloHaole is probably closest to hitting the nail on the head - union rules. I recently was party to a discussion with one of our elected representatives, some teachers, and some professionals that work for the state. The topics/frustrations listed by Pam were all mentioned. It seems that while the state (county, school board) takes the heat for many of the staffing inadequacies, the real culprits are the various unions and the rules they imposed which various governmental units have no choice but to follow. Part of what made the discussion interesting was the fact that new people were likely to not understand either the origin or the application and senior people (those the rules protect) saw nothing wrong with them. As long as the unions rule Hawaii, don't look for any improvement.
David
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident
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OK, gotta put my 2 cents in here. Teaching is the only profession I know of where you lose money when you move with experience (12 years lost in my case, I got credit for 2 years). Pay varies greatly in states with local control and, in CO at least, had little bearing on the cost of living. My sister-in-law in affluent Douglas County district made over 20G more than me living in a more expensive rural ski town. Our test scores though were almost as high as theirs. <Hee Hee>
The set-up here with the state all one district is the worst red-tape situation I've ever seen. I have lost track of all the various paperwork and which sub-agency should get it- I'm just thrilled I actually got a paycheck!
Ditto with the comment about teachers being treated unprofessionally. Don't let the "highly qualified" label fool you. I'm NOT considered highly qualified here because my original certification and teacher ed program years ago was in Elementary. Never mind the fact that I have taught middle school for 14 years and have met federal and my previous state's definition of highly qualified in math, science, and technology. To get my Hawaii state license I will have to get licensed first as an elementary teacher then go back and pick up all the additional endorsements... supposedly I have four years to do this but in the meantime I am unable to build any tenure or job security no matter how good a job I do.
The $3000 bonus has so many strings attached, I don't know anyone who has actually got it. I was also recruited, guarenteed a position w/in commuting distance of HPP, but waited months to hear anything. To be proactive I ended up emailing and faxing all the local principals a cover letter and resume. That's how I got my position finally.
All in all, the job itself is fine, the schedule very workable and most of the kids want to learn, though many are very behind. Of course, any progress we make this year won't be judged on whether the individual child has moved forward but will be based on the one-size-fits-all testing from the Hawaii Standards and Benchmarks that are normed even higher than Colorado's- and I can vouch for the fact that many adults would have a difficult time scoring proficient on Colorado's 8th grade math test. Gov. Owens took the tests a few years ago but wouldn't let the results be made public.
Of course, teaching math is only part of my job. I also got thrown a high school Careers class (for which I freely admit to "lowly qualified" status), am supposed to discipline by "building a relationship" with the hard-to-teach kids, contact parents by writing notes in all the kids' planners, phone call on every referral, attend all the staffings for my students, collect data and write a reflection journal on the dozen constructed response problem solving assignments that all the math students have to take this year in addition to the quarterly state testing- and, oh yeah, the regular math curriculum that I have to get through (all 8 books) by year's end.
I love teaching and I'm not complaining but rather trying to point out that the situation is pretty complex and without strong homes and parent/administration/community support, a teacher can only do so much, even the good ones. Too many kids have bigger problems to worry about than whether or not they are doing well in school. Every teacher learns which parents to never call because the child will get hit... OK, this was more like 10 cents worth!!! Sorry! Linda
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This comment is borderline "on topic" but exemplies how the unions don't have the welfare of the community in mind but their own welfare: I remember an article that appeared in the Hilo Tribune about a year ago about the Hilo kids swim team that had to go to Kona to swim because the pool was not open in Hilo. It was because there was a shortage of lifeguards and the union would not allow the county to hire part-time lifeguards. So the pool stayed closed to the public and to the swim team. I'm thinking that some of the "job protection" tactics of the union carry over to the education area too.
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I have not researched the teachers' union in Hawaii, but I strongly suspect that the pay scale and any other 'rights' that teachers can depend upon are a direct result of the union. A happier, less-stressed teacher creates a better classroom experience for his/her students.
I have had a lot of experience in schools in California and in Maui--K through community college. My latest gig was teaching SAT prep to juniors at Maui High.
In many cases, teachers' unions also work to set class size limits and are involved in other important decisions which contribute to a better educational experience for teacher and student alike.
Every teacher I know cares deeply about his/her students and the quality of education they receive. Teachers I know in Hawaii have to be married (with two incomes)or live with roommates in order to afford to live there.
Many teachers I know on the Mainland and in Hawaii talk often about quitting the job because of how difficult it is. I find that most of the problems are due to poor administration. Many teachers are treated badly by their principals, some have to actually clean their own classrooms and/or have terrible environments in which to teach. In many schools, especially high schools, some kids don't care at all about learning. Every teacher I know--even in 'rich' districts has to pay a sum of approximately $200 each year to 'enrich' their classroom. That doesn't count money spent on treats, paper, notebooks and other things they supply to their kids throughout the year.
Teachers are a hardworking, caring bunch who obviously are not doing the job for the money. Trust me, the unions offer much-needed protection to these people.
I invite anyone who has complaints about teachers or their unions to get involved in a local public school and volunteer. A teacher out there will appreciate you so much and you will then have the knowledge to speak about the situation.
April
april
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My question of a website that has the teacher union contract was mostly rhetorical but the more I thought about it --- Where is a copy of the contract? Since the contract is with the State of Hawaii, shouldn't it be made public? Aren't contracts made by the state on behalf of the taxpayers in the public domain? Has any of the newspapers sued the State to get a copy of the contract if the State keeps it from the public?
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Huuummmmm it seems to me if the Teachers Union was SO strong in Hawaii, that they would be treated with greater respect, receive a living wage and the standards that quarantee the Federal Grants would be a high priority.
To qualify for the grants the qualifications of teachers would improve and standards of excellent education would be formost on their minds and would be enhansed. What am I missing here?
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