Teacher talks
go to arbitration

Talks between the public school teachers' union and the state over a new contract are headed for arbitration on Feb. 21.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association and state negotiators have agreed to declare an impasse in talks that have been under way since November, said Roger Takabayashi, HSTA president.

Declaring an impasse is largely a procedural matter that triggers arbitration. Takabayashi said the two sides were still talking amicably.

Neither side has yet put a salary proposal on the table, but the HSTA has said it wants to raise teacher salaries to attract more into the system, which has a shortfall of 275 teachers.