Principals receive raises
By Sarah Zoellick, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The four consecutive raises -- set to be awarded retroactively to the start of the fiscal year in July and continue through
The HGEA's school principals and educational officers unit has been working without a contract since their last pact expired
"This arbitration decision provided an opportunity for both parties to present the facts of the situation in an objective way," HGEA Executive Director
Arbitrators did not resolve disputes between the union and the state over high-stakes evaluations for principals.
Despite performance evaluations being a hot topic going into the arbitration process, Perreira said in a phone interview Monday there are no permanent or long-standing terms included in the arbitration agreement that link performance to pay increases -- meaning the union and the state are still negotiating terms of a permanent performance evaluation system for school leadership that factors in student achievement nearly 10 years after lawmakers first mandated performance contracts for principals.
Perreira said an expert witness who testified during the arbitration hearing suggested the state come up with a performance system that is not punitive in nature, but instead offers incentives for positive performance, but "basically the arbitrator left it to us to negotiate."
He added that the agreement "was just issued, so we haven't engaged the department in any further dialogue over this, but I trust over time we will."
The state pledged to implement performance evaluations for school leadership in its application for the
The parties had agreed to implement new evaluations -- with half of a principal's rating based on academic achievement data and the other half on leadership attributes -- last school year under a memorandum of agreement announced in
At the time, union officials said key aspects remained unresolved, including what the consequences would be for principals deemed unsatisfactory, and what the incentives would be for those rated highly.
A pilot evaluation system for school administrators was piloted in some schools last year but not rolled out statewide.
Perreira said a system is in place this year for complex-area superintendents to evaluate principals, and results are expected to come in at the end of the school year.
The state and the union also agreed on health insurance premiums, which cannot legally be determined by an arbitration panel. Similar to other HGEA bargaining unit agreements penned within the past year, there will be a 60-40 employer-employee split retroactive to
The arbitration hearing took place
"I would like to commend our educational officers for their leadership and dedication every day in our public schools and for being an integral part in helping to move our education system forward for the future of
HGEA Bargaining Unit 6 was the last remaining unit with unsettled contract negotiations.
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