Yesterday, Governor Josh Green announced a tentative agreement with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) and Hawai‘i Government Employees Association (HGEA), to strengthen recruitment and retention efforts for critical positions supporting student achievement.
The proposal would increase pay for educational assistants and vice principals in Hawai‘i public schools.
The Department of Education (HIDOE) employs 2,550 educational assistants (EAs) statewide. There are currently 600 educational assistant vacancies.
The proposed salary adjustments would increase the annual salary for educational assistants by an average 8% over two years by moving EAs to a higher salary range each year for the next two years. The average base salary will increase from $35,425 to $40,611.
HIDOE vice principals, meanwhile, would be converted from their current 10-month status (aligned to the academic school year) to year-round employees in line with principals and Act 51 that was passed in 2004. Vice principals support school principals with daily operations, provide instructional leadership and student support, and engage with families, community members and business partners to advance priorities for student learning.
The HIDOE employs 379 vice principals statewide. The agreement would increase the annual salary for vice principals by 20% — from an average of $96,912 to $116,292 in fiscal year 2024. The tentative agreement will need to be ratified by affected members of HGEA’s unit 3 and unit 6, representing educational assistants and vice principals, respectively.
The total estimated cost to increase compensation for educational assistants and convert vice principals to 12-month employees is $13 million in fiscal 2024 and $20.5 million the following fiscal year. The figures cover salary and fringe for nearly 3,000 existing HIDOE employees and charter school employees.
“These salary adjustments recognize the increasing and evolving responsibilities of these roles and align with the Board of Education’s strategic plan priority around ensuring all of our public schools have a high-quality workforce to improve student success,” said Governor Green in a statement.
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