Most public and charter school teachers in Hawaii will receive a pay raise at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year under the current contract with the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA). Teachers on Steps 5 through 14A of the salary schedules will advance one step within their classification starting from the first working day of the school year. The specific salary schedules can be found in Exhibits D and DD on pages 79 and 80 of the HSTA contract.
Ten-month teachers will notice this increase reflected in their August 20 paychecks after completing a full pay period. For twelve-month and multi-track teachers, this adjustment began with their July 18 paychecks.
The step increase equates to a 3% salary hike for most, except those moving from Step 14A to Step 14B or transitioning to the last step, which sees a 6% raise.
This movement applies only to those actively employed and paid on July 29, the first working day of the new school year. Teachers who resigned but held a Bargaining Unit 05 position must return by this date to qualify. Those re-employed after July 29 are not eligible for this movement.
New hires during the upcoming school year will not see a step movement; they remain on their initial step throughout the year.
Regular step movements recognize increased skill, competence, and professional knowledge gained through experience while preventing salary compression among employees with varying service years.
Teachers at Step 14B, ineligible for further movement, will instead receive a one-time $3,000 lump-sum payment. Members with eligibility questions should contact their HSTA representative or UniServ Director.
The contract also introduces Class VIII for experienced educators in fall, providing them with an additional raise over Class VII. Over 4,500 teachers currently at Class VII are expected to transition to Class VIII soon.
“The establishment of Class VIII is a significant win that our members have been asking for for so many years,” said HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr., highlighting legislative efforts and bargaining achievements leading to this milestone.
Coursework completed before this school year’s start can be submitted by early October for reclassification consideration and retroactive pay increases from semester start.
In April 2023, an agreement was reached granting all teachers an across-the-board increase of 3.5%, effective at next year’s start—this being part of a four-year contract approved by HSTA members and funded by state legislation that month.
