Charter school teachers would be able to gain seniority and probationary credits under an agreement reached by the state Department of Education and the public school teachers union. DOE benefits within
grasp of charter schoolsAn agreement would allow teachers
to gain seniority in the systemBy Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.com"We've reached an agreement, and that is now going to the Board (of Education) next week Thursday," said Karen Ginoza, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
The agreement, which must be approved by the board, would afford charter school teachers the same rights as regular Department of Education teachers, Ginoza said.
"Basically, what we are going to do is treat our DOE teachers fairly," she said.
The agreement would allow DOE teachers who transfer to charter schools to accrue seniority. It would also allow teachers who are hired by charter schools to gain probationary credits.
"When those teachers transfer to a DOE school from a charter school, they will gain tenure," Ginoza said.
Officials say that tenure provides job security, and seniority provides teachers the pick of desirable positions.
For the probation credits, the agreement requires the teachers to be licensed and evaluated under the same system used by the department. Those teachers must also be supervised by a licensed administrator. State Senate Education Chairman Norman Sakamoto (D, Salt Lake-Moanalua) said he has not read the agreement so he could not comment on its substance.
He did say, "It's positive in that something is moving forward and action is being taken to address the issue now as opposed to waiting."
Charter schools have told legislators that their teachers were considering transferring back to regular DOE schools because of the threat of losing their benefits.
Teacher benefits in charter schools became an issue last year when the Board of Education adopted a policy that would treat charter school teachers differently even if they transferred from the system.
Libby Oshiyama of the Hawaii Association of Charter Schools said she was pleased with the agreement but was fearful it would not be supported by the BOE, which has "never done anything that looked to be supportive" of the charter school community.
"People are going to look at this very carefully," she said.
BOE member Karen Knudsen said the board is supportive of charter schools and wants to see them succeed but has to weigh legal issues in making decisions.
Whether the board would approve the agreement on Thursday, Knudsen, who had not read the agreement, said: "I think we would want to hear a strong argument from the department in support of what they're proposing. ... We want to make sure (teachers) are protected as well, but we just need a rationale for this.
"If somebody chooses to leave the system, does it make sense for benefits to follow them? On the other hand, for conversion (charter) schools, there's a feeling that they shouldn't be penalized," she said.
Oshiyama, meanwhile, called the agreement itself a "win-win for everybody" because it would grant certified teachers the flexibility to transfer between charter schools and DOE schools without fear of losing benefits.
"They should have the option to leave and not be penalized," she said.
"It is a step in the right direction," she said. "It is an expression of good faith from the Department of Education and from the union, and God knows we need it."
State Department of Education
