Posted on: Saturday, January 22, 2005

Help sought in finding teachers

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Faced with a persistent shortage of qualified teachers for Hawai'i's public schools, educators asked state lawmakers yesterday for more resources to help lure teachers from the Mainland.

Money for relocation and signing bonuses could help make Hawai'i more competitive with other states in what has become an annual search for about 1,500 teachers needed to fill classroom vacancies. The state Department of Education now pays between $1,500 and $4,500 in relocation bonuses, depending on where the teaching candidates live, but the incentives are relatively small given the costs of moving from the Mainland to Hawai'i.

The DOE also offers signing bonuses, housing aid and other incentives to relocate to rural or Neighbor Island schools where vacancies are harder to fill.

With the DOE and the Lingle administration already more than $81 million apart over the department's two-year budget request, other education priorities will likely come before new recruiting money. But Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake), chairman of the Senate Education and Military Affairs Committee, said lawmakers would look at some type of housing incentive for new teachers as well as whether to make it easier for teachers on the Mainland to get licensed if they come to Hawai'i.

The DOE hired 1,421 new teachers this school year but were still 357 teachers short by the time the last school started classes in August. Schools are about 275 teachers short today. During the past school year, most new teachers were emergency hires who either had not finished all of their licensing exams or had not completed a teacher education program.

Many vacancies are caused by retirement, but the DOE says teachers also leave because of a lack of support, low pay or because they are not qualified or have not obtained a license.

Hawai'i's high cost of living can make it difficult for new teachers on a starting salary of $36,500. Some new teachers also have trouble adjusting to the Islands, particularly in rural areas and the Neighbor Islands where cultural and lifestyle differences can be more pronounced.

The Hawai'i State Teachers Association asked lawmakers to support a long-term goal of raising the starting teacher salary to $45,000, the average salary to $60,000, and the top salary to $100,000.

Educators continue to work at getting more young people in Hawai'i interested in teaching and convincing them to stay in the Islands.

Randy Hitz, dean of the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's College of Education, said 80 percent of the school's teaching graduates traditionally end up in jobs with the DOE. But a survey of 2001 graduates found that only 53 percent were working with the DOE. He said many young teachers are moving to states where they can afford to buy homes on a teacher's salary.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.