Hawaii public school teachers denied 2 extra paid days off

Thousands of Hawaii public school teachers, vice principals and other school employees learned Friday that they will be denied the two extra paid workdays off that Gov. Josh Green offered to state workers as a holiday gift.

However, at least for the teachers, the conversation is not over, said Osa Tui Jr., president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which represents the state’s 12,600 public school teachers. Tui said that Green told him Friday that he is trying to arrange for teachers to receive some other type of benefit instead, although Tui said it’s too early to give details.

“I would say that while we’re disappointed, we’re very grateful that the governor is continuing to dialogue with us on other alternatives,” he said.

Tui said the union has no plans at the moment to file a grievance over the issue.

On Dec. 9, Green announced in an internal executive memorandum to department heads and in an email to staff that “in recognition of the loyal and faithful service of our public employees and in keeping with the holiday season,” all full-time salaried state employees will receive 16 hours of special administrative leave.

With the 16 hours divided between Friday and Dec. 30, thousands of state workers whose absence won’t disrupt necessary government functions are receiving four-day weekends surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day.

However, state schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in letters dated Thursday and sent Friday to the two unions representing Hawaii’s public school teachers and about 4,000 other school employees that they will not be eligible for the extra time off.

Hayashi said the state Department of Education confirmed that “the intent of the leave was to give employees whose normal work days include Dec. 23 and Dec. 30, 2022, to have time off to be with their families during the holidays.”

But teachers, who are classified as 10-month employees, already have those days off since they fall during winter break when schools are not in session, Hayashi said. “Employees whose schedules already include time off on these days are not eligible for administrative leave,” he wrote.

Hayashi also said that a precedent was set in past years when administrative leave was granted to state employees for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve but not extended to teachers and other employees who normally are off during winter break.

“The department appreciates the extraordinary dedication and commitment of its teachers; however, administrative leave will not be provided to members of Bargaining Unit 05 and other employees who are not required to work on those days,” Hayashi wrote in his letter to the HSTA.

A nearly identical letter was sent to the Hawaii Government Employees Association, which represents about 4,000 10- month employees who also are already regularly scheduled to be off work on the two days. They include vice principals, cafeteria managers, custodians, educational assistants and school health aides.

The HGEA did not respond to messages left Friday afternoon requesting comment.

In an interview Friday on the Honolulu Star- Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program, Hayashi called Green’s intended offer “a very thoughtful gesture” and added that “we appreciate, definitely and wholeheartedly, the dedication of our committed teachers” and other school employees. “But that admin leave would not apply to those employees who are already off.”

Meanwhile, the state’s 258 school principals, who are represented by HGEA but considered 12-month employees, were scheduled for work Friday and Dec. 30, so they are eligible to accept Green’s offer for the two days of special administrative leave, a DOE spokesperson said.

The HSTA had requested that DOE clarify whether teachers were going to be allowed to take the special administrative leave day after school restarts in January or receive credit for the vacation day.

In a separate interview Wednesday, Tui said one of the sticking points was the cost and logistics of hiring substitute teachers if the 12,600 teachers each had been permitted to take two days off during the regular school year. If they had, substitute teachers would be needed for the approximately 25,000 employee workdays.

Not every teacher works in a classroom, but every teacher who does must be replaced by a substitute teacher during an absence. Substitute teachers are paid $157.02 to $184.66 per day, depending on their credentials. A midlevel Class II substitute teacher with a bachelor’s degree is paid $170.85 per day. So to provide substitute teachers could cost the state upward of $4 million.