Teachers hang
tight on strike

The state and HSTA prepare
for the worst as the threatened
walkout day nears

>> State of Hawaii Web Site
>> Hawaii State Teachers Association

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By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

Public school teachers continued saying they will do whatever it takes to get contract negotiations with the state settled -- even if it means walking the picket line beginning Thursday.

"They're still committed ... that if we need to, we'll go on strike," HSTA President Karen Ginoza said. "Settlement is very critical to them, and we must have a salary that's competitive and will keep teachers teaching and be able to recruit new teachers."

Ginoza attended a meeting for teachers at Moanalua High School yesterday afternoon. It was one of several meetings organized by the union across the state to update teachers on the latest developments.

"The meeting was called ... to inform our teachers about the latest updates in negotiations," Ginoza said.

One of those attending the Moanalua meeting was Pearl Harbor Elementary kindergarten teacher Louise Chung, a 35-year veteran, who has been through the 1973 strike and all the potential strikes that followed.

"This is the most discouraging one I've been through," Chung said.

Hawaii's schools are in need of teachers, and it is going to be tough to recruit and keep them.

"The teachers are lined up and are going to disappear," Chung said.

The state and the teachers broke off informal talks Thursday and could meet sometime this weekend, although no talks were scheduled as of last night.

Both sides remain far apart on raises. The teachers union is asking for 22 percent. The state is looking at a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in wages with entry-level teachers receiving the highest raises.

Ginoza said the union is open and willing to talk.

Earlier in the day and across town, state schools Superintendent Paul LeMahieu -- flanked by members of the Board of Education -- laid out what the Department of Education and Board of Education will do in the event of a strike.

But he said he hopes the department does not have to carry out their plans.

"We remain hopeful that a strike can be averted, that the state and the Hawaii State Teachers Association can and will come to a conclusion of their negotiations that is mutually satisfactory and that we will wake up on the morning of April 5 to school as usual," LeMahieu said.

If a strike does occur, schools will be closed for the first two days, and then a decision will be made day by day on whether schools will open.

"We understand our responsibility first of all as caring for the well-being of children to ensure that their health and their safety is accommodated first and foremost in our schools, and beyond that to provide to the extent possible a curriculum instructional program," LeMahieu said.

One of the criteria will be whether a school has adequate adult supervision, he said.

That supervision may be provided by educational aides, part-time teachers and substitutes, he said.

Ginoza said, "Will they be receiving a quality education, or is it just going to be baby-sitting? I think parents are going to have to ask themselves that."