I read with great interest the recent article in the West Hawaii Today, about the newly raised concerns about poor teacher retention here in the Aloha State. While recruiting from abroad, rather than just from educators on the mainland is
I read with great interest the recent article in the West Hawaii Today, about the newly raised concerns about poor teacher retention here in the Aloha State. While recruiting from abroad, rather than just from educators on the mainland is an example of “thinking outside of the box,” it’s not the type of solution that will solve our teacher shortage issue in the long run.
What’s badly needed, and a topic I haven’t seen discussed in the media lately, is affordable local housing for teachers in our West Hawaii community. This issue (of affordable housing for the working class) is not unique to our Big Island, but is especially exacerbated by our higher than mainland costs of living here in Hawaii. Think about it — a young teacher, new to the profession, (most likely facing enormous tuition debt), comes to Hawaii for his/her first teaching assignment, only to sadly find that the average starting salary for teachers is barely a living wage.
Once the new teacher realizes that housing and food, utilities, etc. are much higher than on the mainland, the joy of “living in paradise” quickly diminishes.
Sadly, many leave the profession, or leave for better paying jobs on the mainland, within the first few years. Added to this, teachers here pay anywhere from $500 to $800 per month out of their paychecks for their portion of medical coverage. (50 percent paid by employer coverage is typically the norm here in Hawaii, while many mainland districts still offer 100 percent paid medical coverage for teachers.)
I’m fortunate to have a spouse, and the ability to build our own home here in Kona, but I’m atypical of many of our local teachers. Many of the newer, younger teachers do not have this luxury (especially single teachers.) Sadly, we are now are facing another pending contract negotiation with little to offer — zero percent raise is what we are being warned to expect in the next round of contract bargaining between the governor and state workers’ unions.
And we wonder why teachers are leaving Hawaii? Until Gov. David Ige and state legislators get serious about offering housing subsidies (or special State Workers’ Housing — similar to the teacher housing program on Lanai) the merry-go-round of teacher turnover will continue.
Toni Reynolds is a resident of Kailua-Kona
