Posted on: Thursday, March 29, 2001

State, teachers remain at odds

Advertiser Staff

Gov. Ben Cayetano and Hawai'i State Teachers Association President Karen Ginoza today gave no indication they are any closer to a settlement that would end the threat of a teachers' strike next week.

"She missed the point," Cayetano said today of Ginoza's comments on local television last night. "The issue is about money and whether the state can afford to pay what the HSTA is demanding, not only for the next two years but beyond that."

Ginoza, meanwhile, said today there's no time to get into a "he-said-she-said" public debate.

"The fact is we need to stop talks and tactics that really detract from the contract issue, which is addressing the teacher shortage in Hawai'i," Ginoza said. "We both stated our cases last night, now we need to get back to bargaining.

State and union negotiators met for three hours yesterday but as of today there were no plans to return to the table. The teachers have set a strike date of April 5.

The governor said statements by the union that an independent fact-finding panel found that the state has money to pay teachers is not true. The union statement is based on reports to the panel by HSTA-hired consultants, Cayetano said.

"These (University of Hawai'i) experts were the same ones who told the voters (in the 1998 gubernatorial campaign) that the state was $500 million in debt when, in fact, it had a $154 million end balance," the governor said in a statement released by his spokesperson Kim Murakawa.

"The contention by HSTA's so-called experts from the UH that there is ample money to pay for raises is outrageous and will only increase the liklihood of a prolonged strike."

Cayatano said the state's financial records are open for anyone who wants to look at it.

"We don't want to strike but we will if the only alternatives are to strike or accept the state's offer which is status quo. And status quo is unacceptable, Ginoza said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education said today that Hawai'i Schools Superintendent Paul LeMahieu will tell students and parents tomorrow what to expect if the teachers' union strikes.

LeMahieu has called a press conference to relay information, "so that parents may make alternative arrangements for child care and take whatever steps necessary to be prepared for the possible disruption of school," Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen said today.

On March 15 the DOE said that if the strike were to occur the schools would be closed initially and an assessment would be made on their ability to reopen. More detail will be provided on that plan, Knudsen said.

The department also will be buying advertisements in the Sunday newspapers to provide information on strike contingency planning, Knudsen said.

Neither Cayetano nor Ginoza added anything new in their 15 minutes of free TV time last night.

Cayetano reaffirmed his support of education and teachers, even during tough economic times. He agreed the endorsement of the HSTA helped him win his elections. But he said there is not enough money to give teachers the raise they want.

"A strike would change many things, but it would not change the fact that the state cannot afford the 22 percent raise the HSTA is demanding," Cayetano said.

Paying for the union's demands would mean taking away programs for the "poor, needy and disabled" and cutting all department budgets, including the Department of Education, he said.

Ginoza said the issue is not about money. "It is about providing the best education for children," she said, and tackling a severe public teacher shortage that leaves 69 classrooms empty every day.

"If the state continues to refuse to pay teachers the salaries they deserve, we will be entrusting our children's education to more and more unqualified teachers," Ginoza said.

The reaction to the presentations was mixed last night.

Meg Gammon, a parent of two public school students, said Cayetano came off as "a less-than-honest politician." The Kailua resident said the governor was elected on a platform of education but is unwilling to live up to his promises.

But former public school teacher Malcolm Kirkpatrick agreed with the governor.

"The governor has made a couple of good points in that we have no measure of teacher effectiveness and we pay them all the same," said Kirkpatrick, who ran unsuccessfully for the Board of Education last year.

Board of Education member Karen Knudsen said last night's show produced no clear winner. She added that she heard nothing new from either side.

Knudsen said Cayetano scored points when he tied teacher's raises to performance and accountability. But she gave Ginoza high marks for reminding the public how difficult it is to retain teachers on their present salary.

Staff writers Rod Ohira, Walter Wright Alice Keesing, Curtis Lum and Jennifer Hiller contributed to this report.