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Committee presses TECC and DOE for concrete teacher‑retention steps; identifies retention as near‑term priority
Summary
The committee advanced resolutions urging DOE to begin initiatives on teacher retention and required the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee (TECC) to update the legislature on its strategic plan. Testimony from DOE and the University of Hawai‘i emphasized pipeline, retention and compensation as the three strategic buckets, with retention identified as immediate actionable work.
The House Committee on Education advanced HTR 187 and HR 177 on March 31, advancing measures that urge the Department of Education to pursue initiatives addressing teacher retention and direct the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee (TECC) to provide an update to the legislature on its strategic plan.
Sean Bacon (DOE) described a recently approved Board of Education human resources plan and noted DOE’s intention to begin contract negotiations with the Hawaii State Teachers Association ahead of an upcoming contract expiration. Nathan Morata, dean of the University of Hawai‘i College of Education and current TECC co‑chair, described TECC’s five‑year strategic framework organized around three buckets — building capacity (pipeline), in‑service retention, and compensation — and said retention may be the most immediate area for progress.
The committee adopted an HD1 to include TECC explicitly in the resolution and to eliminate redundant advisory‑board language; TECC was asked to provide an update on its strategic plan to the legislature before the 2027 session. Members discussed data needs (school‑level exit and retention data), apprenticeship/grant timelines, and staffing and housing as contributors to attrition.
Next steps: TECC and DOE will continue work on retention strategies and deliver the requested strategic‑plan update to the legislature; implementation and compensation changes depend on future negotiations and possible appropriations.
