State, teacher union resume bonus talks
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
More than a month after the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board ordered them back to the bargaining table, the governor's negotiator and the teachers union met for the first time yesterday to talk about how much of a bonus to give teachers with master's degrees.
But paying teachers even the bonus that was due this year could take the greater part of this semester.
"We've been holding a series of meetings on implementation," said Joan Husted, executive director of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association. "Slowly but surely, things are starting to fall into place."
HSTA and officials at the Department of Education have met several times to discuss how and when to give teachers with master's degrees a 3 percent bonus.
The department also must go through each teacher's personnel records to verify whether qualification for a bonus. Still at issue is whether teachers with a professional diploma — an extra year completed after a bachelor's degree — will receive the 3 percent.
"Those with the master's should be getting it," said HSTA President Karen Ginoza. "The professional diploma is still in question, though. We've got to work through that."
The labor board said yesterday that bonuses must be paid to all teachers with a master's in their field of teaching, meaning an additional 3,700 teachers will receive bonuses.
The union is also concerned that some schools have not allowed teachers to take the four days of professional development called for in the contract. Teachers and the union want to use the four days before this school year is out and the opportunity is lost for good.
The department and union also are at odds over when and where teachers can do their class preparation work.
The labor board ruled last month that teachers with advanced degrees are entitled to 3 percent bonuses for only the first year of their two-year contract.
But the board found that the state has a commitment to provide "some sort" of bonus in the second year, and ordered the negotiators back to the table.
Union officials met late yesterday with Davis Yogi, the governor's chief negotiator. Yogi could not be reached for comment, but Gov. Ben Cayetano has said he expects something in return for the second year of the bonus.
The number of Hawai'i teachers eligible for the bonus has been estimated at 5,000 to 6,500.
The estimated cost of the bonus has ranged from $6 million to $10 million a year.
That second-year bonus will come out of excess federal impact aid. Impact aid is federal money that compensates school districts with a large military presence, but can be used at the department's discretion. The excess aid is the difference between what the state originally expected to receive and what it actually received in federal impact aid — an amount that fluctuates every year.
The teachers and the state have been at odds for 10 months over the bonus issue involving teachers with master's degrees and professional diplomas. The dispute delayed payment of an $1,100 retention bonus and other negotiated raises until the governor in September agreed to implement the contract with the exception of the disputed professional bonus.
Staff writer Alice Keesing and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
