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Hawaii teachers voted two-to-one in favor of the tentative contract agreement they rejected by the same margin in January, according to results released by the union Wednesday afternoon.

But it remains unclear what impact this change of heart will have on a settlement between the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the state. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has said the January contract proposal no longer has legal standing.

“Just as teachers reconsidered their position, we are now asking the Governor to reconsider his,” HSTA President Wil Okabe said in a letter to “colleagues” about the vote results.

He said he would be notifying Abercrombie, Board of Education Chair Don Horner, Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan that “Hawaii’s teachers voted to ratify the contract settlement.”

Abercrombie responded in a statement, calling into question whether the vote amounted to a ratification.

“Now is a good time for HSTA to submit a new proposal for discussion,” he said. “When HSTA decides to return to collective bargaining, the vote results will be seriously considered.”

Some teachers have disputed Abercrombie’s claim that the January contract is invalid. They said the union’s February contract proposal and the state’s March settlement offer — both of which remain on the table — should not nullify January’s tentative agreement which was never formally withdrawn.

Still, the Attorney General’s Office says even if the state were to reconsider the January offer, the two sides would at a minimum need to meet again over issues with dates and other technical aspects.

A major difference between the two votes on the January contract is a “no” vote this time around would have authorized HSTA to call for a strike. Leading up to the vote, which started Thursday and ended Tuesday, union members said they planned to abstain because they disliked the options on the ballot.

In his letter to Abercrombie and Duncan sharing the re-vote results, Okabe acknowledges the governor’s position and the role the $75 million Race to the Top grant played.

“Despite Governor Abercrombie’s comments that he no longer considers his January settlement proposal valid, we believe our ratification vote validates the work both we and the state did to reach this agreement in January to align Hawaii with President Obama’s Race to the Top reform requirements,” .

Race to the Top officials have placed Hawaii at high risk of losing the federal grant, in large part because the contract issue remains unresolved. Teachers have been operating under the governor’s unilaterally imposed “Last, Best, Final Offer” since July 1, which included pay cuts and increases in health care costs.

How Many Voted This Time?

Union leaders wouldn’t say Wednesday how many members voted this time around. More than 70 percent of the union’s 12,500 members voted in January.

Dozens of teachers took advantage of the union’s Facebook page to air their concerns over lack of information about the vote count.

“We called and emailed and were told that you are not releasing the turnout numbers!!! Why??? This is information we need to know!” Laurel Haserot posted on .

Last week, Abercrombie urged HSTA leaders to resume negotiations “immediately” after the union cancelled the last three scheduled meetings.

Meantime, HSTA’s case before the Hawaii Labor Relations Board is finally drawing to a close. The state, union and intervenor UHPA have until June 15 to complete their final reports for the board to consider.

What’s Inside This Contract?

The January contract offer is for six years, expiring June 30, 2017. In the 2011 to 2013 school years, teachers would receive a few extra days off annually in exchange for a 5 percent pay cut like the other public employee unions in Hawaii.

Then in July 2013, the salary reductions would be eliminated and annual increases would resume for those rated “effective” or better. The union would have an opportunity to reopen negotiations for raises in January 2013 or January 2015.

Not knowing enough about the evaluation system was a major reason teachers said in a poll that they rejected the January offer the first time around. The evaluation system in the agreement involves a pilot program, now underway, through 2013 before the state implements a new performance-based annual evaluation system.

The teachers were also concerned over what would comprise such a system. Under the January agreement, 50 percent would be based on teacher practice indicators and 50 percent would be based on teacher’s contribution to student learning and growth using multiple measures.

In the interim between the two votes on the January proposal, HSTA helped defeat a bill in the Legislature that would have implemented a similar performance-based management system. The Board of Education subsequently passed a policy directing the Department of Education to devise such a system with the union’s input.

Learn more about the contract reconsideration here.