HSTA contract proposal in works

Three weeks after teachers rejected a proposed contract that would have tied wage increases to performance, the teachers union says it is working to come up with a new proposal but cannot say when it will be ready.

Hawaii State Teachers Association President Wil Okabe said he continues to get teacher comments on the contract that was voted down, and is not interested in rushing the process.

"We will be trying to develop a proposal after we assess what we’ve received (in comments)," he said Monday.

The ongoing labor dispute with teachers and the lack of union agreement on key education reform issues contributed to the U.S. Department of Education’s decision in December to put Hawaii’s $75 million Race to the Top grant on "high risk" status.

U.S. DOE reviewers will visit the islands the week of March 25 to determine the state’s progress on Race initiatives, and legislators and state Department of Education officials remain hopeful the state will be able to show movement in labor negotiations.

Under the six-year proposed deal that was rejected last month, 5 percent wage reductions would have continued through June 30, 2013, before a new salary schedule that pegs future raises to student performance would kick in.

Tying teacher raises, tenure and other high-stakes decisions to new evaluations that take into account student academic growth was among the key reforms the state pledged to make under Race to the Top.

In a letter to the governor last week, Okabe said that after talking to teachers statewide about their reasons behind voting down the proposed contract, the union decided to "accept your offer to return to the bargaining table."

At the same time, Okabe said the union will continue to pursue its prohibited-practice complaint before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board filed in response to the state’s decision to impose a "last, best and final" contract offer for teachers in July.

"We must preserve our legal options in the event that negotiations result in a longer stalemate," Okabe said.

The Governor’s Office, meanwhile, wants the union to "provide a proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement as soon as possible," state chief negotiator Neil Dietz told Okabe in a Feb. 9 letter.

The prolonged labor issues are adding urgency to a proposed measure that would require under state law the implementation of a performance management system for teachers.

The Board of Education is also looking at writing into board policy a requirement for revamped teacher evaluations linked to pay, tenure and other decisions.