Gov. Josh Green, the Hawaii Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association held a press conference this afternoon to discuss a tentative agreement between the state and the union representing Hawaii’s 13,500 public school teachers on a new four-year contract.

The contract includes salary increases in each of the next four years, changes to the salary structure and increases in employer contribution to health premiums.

Green said the discussion involved the cost of living for educators and allowing teachers to be able to afford to live in Hawaii.

“From the start, we felt that we had to pay teachers well enough to show that we not only respect them but that they can also live in Hawaii,” said Green, adding that the changes to the salary structure will help to retain existing teachers and recruit new ones to Hawaii.

>> RELATED: State and teachers union reach tentative agreement

According to an HSTA news release, the union’s Negotiations Committee recommended the agreement to the board of directors, which voted to approve it during special meetings Saturday, sending it to the bargaining unit membership for ratification. The tentative contract would run from July 1 through June 30, 2027, the statement said.

“Since 2013, we haven’t been able to make substantiative changes to our contract, so we’re very grateful that now that we’ve had that chance,” Hawaii State Teachers Association president Osa Tui Jr. said. “And this is the strongest contract that we’ve ever had.”

Tui Jr. also echoed Green’s statement that the new contract will help in recruiting and retaining teachers. He urged members to vote “yes” on the new agreement.

“It helps with our keiki who are in our classrooms who are going to have highly qualified educators more now than before,” he said.

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