Posted at 11:55 a.m., Tuesday, July 10, 2001

State makes offer on teacher bonus

By Bruce Dunford
Associated Press

Gov. Ben Cayetano appears to have signaled movement in the deadlock over a bonus provision in the contract agreement that ended a three-week strike by public school teachers in April.

Cayetano said yesterday the state would be willing to pay bonuses for teachers with advanced or professional degrees for one year, even if the cost reaches $10 million.

Previously the governor insisted the state could afford only $6.7 million, using this year's unanticipated increase in the federal education impact compensation.

Cayetano is standing fast, however, on his position that the bonus agreement was only for one year of the two-year contract.

Hawaii State Teachers Association executive director Joan Husted said she sees the change in the governor's position as a positive sign toward resolving the dispute that has held up signing the new contract for 13,000 teachers.

"I think they are trying to find a way to settle it," she said.

The union is firm in its position that the bonuses were to be paid in each year of the two-year contract, but the union estimates the total cost at $12 million or $13 million, rather than the $20 million put forward by Cayetano and the Department of Education, Husted said.

The union doesn't want to file a lawsuit and has no intention of re-negotiating the contract to resolve the issue, she said.

"But all the pay raises and incentives are being held up, and our teachers won't just sit there and take it," Husted said.

Cayetano said the two sides are still talking and that the state plans to produce documents demonstrating its understanding that it was to pay bonuses for one year.

"Where is the Department of Education going to get the money from? There has been no appropriation for this, if you're talking about a two-year, $20 million bonus," Cayetano said. "That money would have to come out of existing programs, and clearly they would have to ask for some kind of emergency appropriation to make it up — or cut programs."

Husted said she believes certain DOE officials have exaggerated the costs of the bonuses for political reasons, to embarrass Superintendent of Education Paul LeMahieu, who had backed them.

It's time for the union, the Board of Education, the Department of Education and the state's chief negotiator to all get in the same room and resolve the issue, Husted said.