Gov. Ben Cayetano's address on teacher pay
This is the full text of Gov. Ben Cayetano's address last night on the teacher pay raise dispute:
Good evening, and thank you for joining me tonight.
Last week, our teachers voted to strike. Like many of you, I am very concerned about a strike's impact on our State. That's why I'd like to share some important information with you.
The teachers union, HSTA, has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a media campaign to convince you that our teachers deserve a pay raise.
In my view, it was unnecessary to spend that money. Like many of you I am convinced our teachers deserve a good pay raise. I have felt that way long before I became Governor.
Whenever I think about teachers, I remember the teachers who played a special role in my life. Mrs. Ai, Mrs. Saffrey, Mrs. Uyehara in elementary school, Mr. Higa and Mrs. Chun in intermediate and high school and my college professor, Professor Edelmen, all great teachers who had a profound impact in shaping my values and beliefs.
Teachers play an important role in shaping the lives of our children. For me, growing up in a single parent home, my elementary school teachers became surrogate mothers at a time when I needed that kind of attention. Even when I was on the verge of flunking out of high school, my high school teacher, Mrs. Chun, kept on encouraging me to study so I could go to college.
Our teachers are a dedicated, hard-working group. They love their students and judging by the many letters I've received from students supporting their teachers, I can feel that the students feel pretty good about their teachers too.
I know most of them take great pride in their work and deserve to be respected, supported, and well-compensated.
So why doesn't the State agree to HSTA's demand for a 22% pay raise?
If we could, we would; but the State simply can't afford it. Let me explain why.
As Governor, I represent all of Hawaii's people. Our state government exists to serve everyone especially the most vulnerable among us — our poor, needy, and disabled. Like our frail elderly who require help to live out their lives and our three- and four-year olds from needy families who will benefit from our new PrePlus Program. Like people who may not have much influence, people who are not represented by big special interest groups, but are as much a part of this community as you and me.
Over the past four to five years, these are the people who suffered most when I cut the State Budget because of the downturn in Hawaii's economy.
These budget cuts hurt many people. For example, single disabled persons who saw their state assistance reduced from $418 to $300 a month. The 37,000 people, mostly unemployed, who lost their health care coverage when they were removed from the State's Quest program or the folks on welfare, who have not had an increase in their benefits since 1993.
These cuts were made at a time when hundreds of small businesses closed, workers were laid off or were forced to take pay cuts just to save their jobs.
It was a time when the State government faced its worst fiscal crisis ever. As Governor, I had to make tough decisions. When I asked for your vote in 1994, I promised I would "cut everything and anything to help public education." And I did.
I cut services to those in need in order to give education my highest priority. I laid off nearly 500 state workers. Not one of them was an educator.
To avoid cutting the Department of Education's budget, I cut the budgets of every other state department, including my office, which I cut by 20%.
I had to because the DOE makes up nearly 38% of the State's general fund budget. Combined with the University of Hawaii, 51% of the budget goes to DOE and UH.
While budgets were being cut, we continued to invest in education by borrowing to build a record number of new schools, more than 900 classrooms, libraries, and other much-needed school facilities.
We gave our teachers a well-deserved 14 percent pay raise. I was reducing the number of employees in other state departments; we added more than 2,000 full-time positions to the Department of Education. We did all of this right in the midst of the worst economic decade in our state history.
Now, our unions are again seeking pay raises. They deserve a pay raise, but we can't agree to everything they want. Their combined wage demands would cost the state more than $540 million. HSTA's demands alone would cost $295 million, more than the combined budgets of 13 of the State's 18 departments.
In response to the union demands for pay raises, our legislators have been scrambling to find money to pay for them.
The Senate proposed repealing tax cuts, the same tax cuts which put more dollars in your pockets and has helped our economy grow again.
The House already cut out my request for textbooks, computers, and special education. And they drastically reduced funding for drug rehabilitation and other social programs.
But now, our legislators are slowly realizing there is simply not enough money to do it all.
You see, if we agreed to fund those pay raises, I would again be forced to cut programs for the poor, disabled, and elderly; programs which were hit hard the last time, and programs which I believe we should be restoring, or even expanding.
But this time, I would be forced to cut the DOE's budget as well. It makes little sense to increase teachers' salaries while cutting the funding for textbooks, computers, and other supplies.
Our children deserve new textbooks, computers, and good facilities, just as much as our teachers deserve good salaries. That's why we need to strike a balance, good salaries should not be given at the cost of denying our children the essential tools they need for a good education.
Balance. That's what we've tried to accomplish.
Take a look at how teachers' salaries have increased in Hawaii in recent years.
In 1996, the average salary of Hawaii's teachers was ranked 24th highest in the nation. In 1997, we gave our teachers a 14% pay raise, boosting them to 18th highest. Our latest offer will make them the 11th highest paid in the nation.
What does that mean for Hawaii's teachers?
Under the State's offer, a starting teacher now earning $29,000 will make $35,000. That's a 20% increase over two years. After that same teacher completes Dr. LeMahieu's professional development program, the teacher's salary would increase to $37,000, from $29,000 to $37,000, a 28% increase in just two years.
Teachers with a Masters degree could jump from $31,000 to nearly $40,000 in the same period. Senior teachers at the top of the pay scale would go from $58,000 to more than $64,000. Under our proposal every teacher will receive at least a 10% increase and the opportunity to earn more under the professional development program.
Pay raises alone will not improve the quality of teaching. That is why we have made professional development an important part of our contract proposal. That's why I sought funding for new textbooks, computers, and supplies, and why I asked the Legislature for $290 million to build new schools and renovate old ones.
The HSTA's proposal continues to rely heavily on seniority. Whereas our proposal focuses more heavily on professional development, as an incentive to earn higher compensation.
We think that's the right way to help our teachers get better and improve student learning in the process.
I DON'T want to see a strike; and every teacher I've spoken to does not want one either. No one does.
The last time our teachers went on strike was nearly 30 years ago, in 1973. There were no winners, only losers. For some, the feelings of anger and resentment still linger.
If our teachers strike next week, I am afraid history will repeat itself.
Our schools will be closed. The education of more than 183,000 school children will be compromised. Thousands of parents will be forced to find childcare. Nearly 13,000 teachers and their families will suffer economic hardship. All of us will be poorer for the experience.
A strike would change many things; but it would not change the fact that the State cannot afford the 22% pay raise the HSTA is demanding.
You know, my term as Governor will end next year. Some have suggested to me that I agree to what our public worker unions are asking for and leave whatever problems arise for the next governor to fix. It's tempting, and it would be easy and far less stressful.
I'm not willing to do that. I would breach the public trust if I did. I promised I would do what I think is right; and that is what I owe the people of Hawaii.
The HSTA has supported me in every one of my elections. More than once, I believe their support made a difference. It's a great labor union representing some great workers. I appreciate and I am very proud of their support, and, as I pointed out earlier, I believe I have done my utmost to support our teachers and public education in Hawaii.
No administration has increased teachers salaries in Hawaii as much this one. No administration has built as many new schools in four years.
Given the state of Hawaii's economy, I am proud of what we did for public education.
Within a year, the State will begin negotiations on a new contract. I urge the HSTA to continue our talks and work with the State to settle the contract now before us.
I want to thank KHON, KHNL, KITV, and KGMB for giving me this free time. I thank you all for sharing this time with me. Aloha.
