OHA trustees unanimously adopt ad hoc committee pay plan to raise staff salaries

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept the ad hoc committee report on staff salaries (action item BOT‑2507) and to adopt the committee’s recommended pay adjustments and preliminary personnel budgets for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

The ad hoc committee recommended salary increases that would cover roughly 69% of the current workforce (78 positions), produce about an 11% increase in total personnel and fringe costs if all positions were filled, and put new baseline salary bands into effect on July 1, with a proposed 3% inflation adjustment in fiscal 2027. The motion passed in a roll-call vote, 9‑0.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff described the action as a first step to correct long‑standing pay inequities at OHA, raise starting salaries toward state market bands, and help retain and recruit employees needed to serve Native Hawaiian beneficiaries. Several employees and managers testified in person and online about pay compression, vacancies and the difficulty of living on Oʻahu wages.

Committee findings and recommendation The ad hoc committee, chaired by Trustee Brandon Souza, said it reviewed OHA wage bands, state salary schedules and market data and concluded that many non‑executive positions had fallen behind. The committee recommended: aligning most positions with state wage bands (B003/B004 equivalents for white‑collar staff, excluding executives where noted), adding every position to a salary schedule so employees can progress in steps, limiting exceptions to highly specialized roles, and applying percentage increases by range as shown in the committee report.

Trustee Souza told the board the committee’s intent was to “rise the tide and lift all boats,” and that the recommendations represent a baseline to “meet or exceed” state guidelines where feasible. He said the committee estimated the budgetary impact assuming a full complement of 152 positions; OHA’s current fiscal year ends with roughly 30 vacancies, which reduces immediate cost relative to the committee’s full‑staff estimate.

Public and staff testimony More than a dozen employees spoke in support of the recommendations. Long‑service staff who oversee OHA’s public research systems urged higher pay for technical and specialist roles. Kale Hannes, who oversees the Papakilo digital archive, said, “The work is very valuable. I’m not a position. I’m a person,” and asked the board to adopt organization‑wide standard operating procedures that value specialized technical roles.

Research and evaluation staff raised concerns about pay progression and parity for employees who took on greater responsibilities during the 2021 reorganization. Keith Gutierrez, research and evaluation manager, urged the board to ensure management pay reflects program scope and to build clear pathways so staff moving into supervisory roles do not lose pay incentives.

Implementation and next steps Board counsel and OHA administration told trustees the board could properly vote on the ad hoc committee recommendations at this meeting. Trustees and administration repeatedly described the adopted pay schedule as a baseline. Kapohana (CEO) Stacy Ferreira said implementing performance management and funding professional development will be critical complements to compensation changes, noting merit increases and training pathways will be layered on after baseline adjustments.

The ad hoc committee and administration also identified a set of positions newly created and recently set at market rates; those roles were carved out of the current recommendations and will be reviewed separately. The board directed administration and HR to implement the adopted changes within the constraints of the approved biennial budget and to return with implementation details, including any adjustments for positions not covered in the initial plan.

Vote at a glance - Motion: Accept the ad hoc committee report dated 05/02/2025 and adopt the ad hoc committee staff salary recommendations and preliminary personnel budgets for FY2026 and FY2027 as set forth in Attachment A. - Outcome: Approved (motion adopted unanimously). - Tally: Yes 9, No 0, Abstain 0, Absent 0, Recused 0.

What trustees and staff said next Trustees and administration emphasized this action is not the final step. Trustee comments called for prompt administrative follow‑through on performance management, benefits review, and targeted reviews for employees whose pay or duties changed after the 2021 reorganization. Kapohana Ferreira said, “the performance management implementation that is gonna be rolled out shortly is a critical piece of compensation,” and promised administration will present detailed implementation and budget alignment as the biennium budget is considered.

The board asked administration to consider benefits and other non‑salary incentives that improve retention, and to examine exceptions and the group of new positions the committee excluded from the initial increases. Several testifiers also requested access to the report attachment referenced as “Attachment A”; a public testifier said that attachment was not included in the posted meeting packet and requested it through public records.

Context and history Trustees and staff cited difficulties recruiting and retaining employees in a high cost‑of‑living market on Oʻahu and traced some pay issues to a 2021 reorganization. The committee recommended repeating a similar ad hoc review every three years. Trustees said the board‑level decision addresses policy (the board’s responsibility) while administration will carry out detailed implementation and personnel adjustments.

Ending The trustees adopted the ad hoc committee’s salary recommendations and directed administration to return with implementation plans as the board considers the biennial budget. Trustees, staff and public speakers described the vote as an initial but consequential step toward addressing longstanding pay inequities at OHA.