Public school teachers are expected to receive a pay raise and have better protection from harm after Gov. Josh Green signed two bills into law on Monday.
House Bill 1890 guarantees annual salary raises for public and charter school teachers, but will need to be negotiated within their contracts.
The new law aims to help retain Hawaiʻi educators, who are the lowest paid in the nation. Teachers start at an annual salary of approximately $30,000.
“We want very experienced teachers. We want highly paid teachers,” Green said during a news conference.
House Bill 1888 strengthens protections for educators who have been harassed. This law came after a school official was knocked out by a parent after a Moanalua High School basketball game this past December.
The new law requires the state Department of Education to investigate incidents of harassment. It also created clear reporting procedures, response guidelines and support for affected employees. Additionally, it requires an annual harassment prevention training for educational workers.
Moanalua Associate Athletic Director Natalie Iwamoto, who was the school official in the high school basketball incident, attended the news conference.
“No person should ever feel threatened. No person should ever be assaulted,” Green said, apologizing that she had gone through that incident.
