The Maui News
A tentative agreement has been reached between the state Department of Education and Hawaii Government Employees Association to increase pay for educational assistants and vice principals in the state’s public schools, the Governor’s Office and the union announced Thursday.
The tentative agreement, which aims to strengthen recruitment and retention efforts, will need to be ratified by affected members of HGEA’s unit 3 and unit 6, representing educational assistants and vice principals, respectively, the state said.
“These salary adjustments recognize the increasing and evolving responsibilities of these roles and align with the Board of Education’s strategic plan priority around ensuring all of our public schools have a high-quality workforce to improve student success,” Green said in a news release.
HGEA said that the issue of pay inequality for school-level personnel intensified with recent pay increases for teachers.
For vice principals, state officials acknowledged that pay bumps for teachers created a situation in which some teachers were making more than their supervisors, HGEA said.
Salaries would also increase for public school educational assistants and teaching assistants, who play a critical role in student learning, working side by side with classroom teachers, especially with the most vulnerable students, HGEA said. Historically, fewer jobs in the DOE paid lower than educational assistants, despite the vital nature of their roles, the union said.
“This tentative agreement, pending ratification of our membership, signals to public workers across the state that this administration, unlike its predecessors, desires increased collaboration with public sector unions to make state government work better for the people of Hawaii,” HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira said in a news release.
The DOE employs 2,550 educational assistants statewide. There are currently 600 educational assistant vacancies, according to the state.
The proposed adjustments would increase the annual salary for educational assistants by an average of 8 percent over two years by moving the assistants to a higher salary range each year for the next two years. The average base salary will increase from $35,425 to $40,611, according to the state.
Vice principals would be converted from their current 10-month status (aligned to the academic school year) to year-round employees in line with principals and Act 51, which was passed in 2004. Vice principals support school principals with daily operations, provide instructional leadership and student support, and engage with families, community members and business partners to advance priorities for student learning, the state said.
The DOE employs 379 vice principals statewide. HGEA estimated that about 160 vice principal positions are unfilled.
The agreement would increase the annual salary for vice principals by 20 percent — from an average of $96,912 to $116,292 in fiscal year 2024, the state said.
HGEA said that the agreement, which is just a first step to addressing pay disparity, is a move in the right direction toward addressing the recruitment and retention crisis throughout public schools.
“We greatly appreciate Governor Green and his administration for taking the time to understand our recruitment and retention challenges and for investing in our educators and educational leaders. This move will help our schools attract and retain experienced professionals who are essential to advancing public education in Hawaii,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “We also acknowledge the partnership with HGEA to make this happen along with the support of our legislators and Board of Education.”
The state said the total estimated cost to increase compensation for educational assistants and convert vice principals to 12-month employees is $13 million in fiscal 2024 and $20.5 million the following fiscal year. The figures cover salary and fringe benefits for nearly 3,000 existing DOE employees and charter school employees.
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