Posted on: Saturday, December 15, 2001

Charter school teachers seek tenure

By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's charter school advocates are crying foul, saying a bid to remove their teachers from the seniority system is the latest attempt to kill the reform movement.

About 100 parents, teachers and community leaders gathered at Lanikai Elementary on Thursday night to discuss what they say is a Board of Education move to block charter school teachers from gaining tenure and accruing seniority.

In the Department of Education system, the more senior teachers get the pick of the plum positions.

Frustrated teachers at Lanikai said one of their alternatives is quitting and returning to traditional public schools — a move that Principal Donna Estomago said would "chill" the reform movement.

Sen. Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua-Waimanalo), described the turn of events as a "conspiracy" of the board, department and teachers' union to kill the charter school movement.

"Of course their words will say otherwise but their deeds speak louder than words," he said. "This is the one opportunity to reform the system we have in Hawai'i and of course the system is circling the wagons and protecting their power and money."

Board first vice chairwoman Donna Ikeda, who heads the ad-hoc charter school committee, said there is no conspiracy.

"They want us to grant them tenure but we're not their employer; their local school board is their employer," Ikeda said. "It's difficult for us because we can't determine whether they're teaching. ... They can't have it both ways. On one hand they don't want to be part of the system, then on the other hand they do want to be part of the system."

The teachers' union also has been taking heat over the issue, with some saying it has abandoned the charter school teachers.

But that's not the case, said Hawai'i State Teachers Association Executive Director Joan Husted. The union has been in discussions with the department personnel office since the board tried to change the agreement that gave charter teachers seniority rights, she said.

"We support seniority for DOE teachers in charter schools," she said.

The dispute is just the latest in a series of arguments over the charter schools. The board has approved 25 charters as required by a 1999 law.

Perhaps best described as an independent public school, charters aim to increase parent involvement, experiment with different learning styles and bring more choice to the public education system.

Charters are funded by the department and must comply with other requirements such as academic standards and collective bargaining rules.

While promising to bring much-needed change to the system, they have been a contentious issue both inside and between the board, department and Legislature. Board members are concerned about how to pay for the new schools and how to ensure they offer a safe and appropriate education.

One Hilo charter school is facing a lawsuit to close it down because of allegations of inadequate facilities and overspending.

On the other hand, charter advocates say they have had to fight rules imposed by the board that make it difficult to succeed. Estomago said she is considering fighting the BOE over the seniority issue before the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board or in court.

Hemmings said he and Rep. Joe Gomes, R-51st (Lanikai-Waimanalo), are trying to build a bipartisan coalition to work on the issue at the next legislative session. He also has suggested the charter schools file a temporary injunction against the board, department and HSTA.