Runoff Delays Release of Teachers Union Election Results
The current leaders of the Hawaii State Teachers Association are facing strong challenges.
The announcement ofÌýwho will takeÌýtheÌýhelm of the powerfulÌýHawaiiÌýState Teachers Association isÌýbeing delayed for two weeks while the union holds a runoff for the slot of vice president.
Teachers cast their votesÌýlast month for president, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the HSTA in an election that pits current union leadership against teachers known for making waves.
Vying for the union’s top spot are HSTA and Corey Rosenlee, a teacherÌýwho represents theÌýLeeward Chapter on the HSTA Board of Directors.ÌýCurrent president Wil Okabe, who has held the position since 2009, isÌýterm-limited out.
Lewis has been in the news for her role last monthÌýin helping negotiate a 1.8 percent salary increase and a lump payment of $2,000 for each full-time teacher. Rosenlee is perhaps best known for organizing the Work to Rule protests, which
The results of the race were expected May 4, but were not certified by the board because none of the candidates for vice president received a majority of the votes cast, forcing a runoff.
Although some teachers recall vote results being announced during past runoff elections, the results for president and secretary-treasurer are beingÌýwithheld this time until the new ballots for vice president are counted and the election is certified.
“We cannot post any updates on the election until after the board certifies the election results,” Okabe, the current president, said in a brief email statement.
The candidates in the runoff for vice president are Colleen Pasco and Justin Hughey.
Pasco, an English language arts teacher at Kohala High School and currentÌýsecretary-treasurer for the union, campaigned with Lewis.
Hughey, aÌýspecial education teacher from Maui, ran on a “Hawaii Teachers for Change” platform with Rosenlee.
Pasco did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement posted on Facebook, however, Pasco highlighted her work with Okabe, Lewis, and the HSTA board to “implement programs that take more of our work to the membership level.”
The postÌýalso noted an increase in “the number of professional development opportunities for teachers at reduced rates.”
“I feel we have made great progress over the last three years and there is much more work to be done,” Pasco said in the post.
Hughey, who works a second job at a restaurant to make ends meet and is alsoÌýchairman of the Hawaii Democratic Party Education Caucus, said he wants to focus on increasingÌýteacher pay.
There are efforts beyond the negotiating table that the union can make, Hughey said, including raisingÌýpublic awareness about the pay issue and organizing teachers.
“When factoring in the cost of living,Ìý the salary for teachers in the state of Hawaii is the worst in the country,” Hughey said. “It’sÌýnot a livable wage.”
Unlike the first electionÌýheld in April,Ìývotes in the runoff forÌývice president cannot be submitted electronically. Instead, paper ballots must be delivered to theÌýunion office in HonoluluÌýby 5Ìýp.m. Friday, May 15.
“It would have been nice to have electronic ballots,” Hughey said.
Even with electronic voting, in 2012 only 2,700 out of 13,000 teachersÌýcast ballots.
Results should also be announced May 16 for secretary-treasurer, withÌýAmy Perruso, a social studies teacher at Mililani High School, running againstÌýOsa Tui Jr., a registrar at McKinley High School.
Correction:ÌýAn earlier version of this story reported that a third candidate for vice president,ÌýPaul Daugherty, was still in the running. In fact, Daugherty, a math teacher at Konawaena High School whoÌýran for HSTA president in 2012, had been on the original ballot but is not in the runoff.
