With the newly ratified teachers contract approved by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and expected to be funded by lawmakers, work now begins on creating a new evaluation system that negotiators have agreed will be used to reward and dismiss teachers.
At a news conference Thursday — where the governor and officials with the state Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association signed off on the new deal — Abercrombie said he believes the agreement "is going to be the most progressive contract in the country with regard to the future of education and students."
Raises for existing teachers will be tied to performance evaluations beginning July 1, 2015. Only teachers rated as "satisfactory," "effective" or "highly effective" will be eligible for pay increases in the year after the evaluation.
There are improvement provisions for teachers rated as "marginal," while those rated as "unsatisfactory" will be terminated.
Performance-based evaluations had been among the more controversial aspects of contract talks, with federal Race to the Top money at risk if the state couldn’t get teachers on board. The Department of Education promised to implement a performance-based evaluation system as part of the sweeping reforms it pledged to win its $75 million Race grant.
A new teacher evaluation system being piloted in 81 schools this year is still scheduled to be implemented statewide next school year, but no personnel consequences would immediately kick in for current teachers under the contract.
The evaluations include several measures — such as student surveys, test scores and classroom observations — with half of the evaluation based on teacher performance and half on student growth.
As part of the new contract, the DOE and HSTA will form a joint committee to review the design, validity and reliability of the evaluation system and recommend changes to improve its design and implementation. Previously, teachers did not have a place at the table, the union said.
"We’re going to immediately start to form this advisory committee to work with the department to look at evaluations," HSTA President Wil Okabe said. "It gives us the opportunity to look at all facets of evaluations, look at different models and to be able to involve teachers as we try to head down the road to education transformation. Evaluations should not be a punitive measure, but it should be an opportunity for us to give professional development to teachers."
Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said the contract will "help teachers become the professionals they want to be," adding that the DOE is committed to "making this the opportunity to improve our public education system through the support of our teachers."
Board of Education Chairman Don Horner said it’s going to be critical for the board to ensure the new evaluation system is carried out properly.
"A key component of the contract is the focus on teacher effectiveness, accountability and student outcomes," Horner said. "The board is appreciative and proud of the cooperation and commitment of our teachers. Our job now is to honor that commitment by ensuring the DOE’s evaluation process is fair, accurate and leads to professional development and student achievement."
Board of Education member Jim Williams, who served on the state’s negotiating team, said implementing the terms of the contract will be the real "proof in the pudding."
"We’re very proud of what we’ve negotiated, but we realize that a couple years from now, we need to look back and say, not only did we negotiate good terms, but we implemented them and they’ve been to the benefit not only of the teachers, but also of our students," Williams said.
Other details of the $330 million, four-year contract:
» A 5 percent pay cut made in 2009 will be restored July 1.
» Annual salary boosts of at least 3 percent through a combination of across-the-board increases and pay grade step-ups in alternating years.
» 21 additional paid hours for training in each of the first two years.
» Health premiums will decrease to a 40 percent share versus 50-50 split imposed in current contract.
» "Reopener clause" allows HSTA to negotiate in 2014 for increased compensation once a salary study called for in the contract is completed.
» HSTA will withdraw its complaint against the state over the "last, best and final offer" imposed in July 2011.
Ninety-five percent of the teachers who participated Wednesday voted to ratify the deal, ending a two-year labor dispute with the state.
"I want to pledge to all of the teachers and … the entire membership of the HSTA that we’re going to dedicate ourselves to living up to everything that has been negotiated in this contract," Abercrombie said, "and living up to the spirit in which it was concluded, which is for the betterment of education."
