HSTA wants its best
to earn $100,000

Thousands of public school teachers marked Teacher Institute Day yesterday at the Blaisdell Center, and heard their union president call for eventually boosting annual salaries to as much as $100,000 for the most experienced teachers.

Roger Takabayashi, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, offered no time frame for such an increase. He said he would like, over the long term, to see salaries of $45,000 a year for starting teachers, an average salary of $60,000, and top pay of $100,000 for the most experienced.

Under a contract approved in May, Hawaii's starting teachers receive $36,486 a year and those at the top of the scale get $66,203.

The new contract runs through June 2005. Negotiations begin next month on the next contract.

The union will be lobbying at the next legislative session to restore the teachers' health trust fund and to establish automatic annual salary increments, Takabayashi said. Other priorities are improving classroom conditions, more professional development and restoring pride in Hawaii's public schools.

"We have many goals in the next year, but one mission: We want to unite all of Hawaii for great public schools," Takabayashi said.