A state judge dismissed this morning an appeal from the Hawaii State Teachers Association for relief from the 5 percent wage cut contract the state imposed over the summer.

The ruling by Circuit Judge Rhonda Nishimura sends the matter back to the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.

The HSTA had asked the board to block the contract, then appealed its case to the court when the board didn’t immediately rule on its request. The union then tried take its case directly to the Hawaii Supreme Court, which denied the request.