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Over the course of a year, Kamuela Kimokeo’s online students at Windward Community College learn the fundamentals of Hawaiian music, including how to play the ukulele, write songs and record their own compositions.

Many of Kimokeo’s students are teachers themselves. Since last year, the class has garnered growing interest from educators in the Hawaii Department of Education who hope to incorporate Hawaiian music in their lessons. 

“Music is a missing piece in a lot of young kids’ education,” said Kimokeo, who is also a singer and songwriter. Roughly 80 participants have expressed interest in the 50-seat program so far, requiring him to start a waitlist of students for the 2025-26 academic year. 

Teachers are eager to learn the subject, but many are also interested in increasing their pay. By taking coursework offered through local colleges or the DOE, Hawaii teachers earn professional development credits that can translate to pay increases. By advancing one class on DOE’s salary scale, teachers can earn raises in their annual pay ranging from roughly $2,300 to $6,000, depending on their current salary.

Professional development is one of the few ways educators can increase their pay without relying on contract negotiations between the teachers’ union and the state. Unlike other states, Hawaii teachers don’t receive an automatic raise for every additional year they work in DOE. Currently, pay for a licensed DOE teacher starts at $53,390.

Beginning next year, teachers can qualify for a new class on the pay scale that raises the maximum salary for 10-month educators to over $100,000. The new opportunity for a salary boost is expected to increase teachers’ demand for professional development classes.  

But while professional development is rewarding, it can also be time-consuming and expensive, said Aaron Kubo, a social studies teacher at Hilo Intermediate School. Teachers spend hours of their free time completing assignments and fulfilling lengthy requirements to receive credit for professional development, and some courses can cost upward of $300. 

“I don’t always know if it’s the most accessible or accommodating for folks,” Kubo said.

Opportunities for Raises

Up to 6,000 teachers — roughly half of DOE’s educator workforce — take professional development courses each year, said Grace Makaimoku-Young, an educational specialist for the department. Educators can earn professional development credits through university coursework or classes offered through the DOE.

When teachers take courses through the DOE, they must create portfolios to earn their professional development credits. Developing a portfolio is a rigorous process, Kubo said, and requires educators to submit lesson plans, student work and personal reflections illustrating how their coursework applies to their teaching. 

“It’s laborious,” Kubo said, adding that some of his portfolios have spanned 100 pages. “It’s tedious.”

But the process can also be worthwhile. By earning 15 professional development credits, which translates to roughly five courses, teachers can qualify for pay raises up to $6,000. Because Kimokeo’s Hawaiian music program incorporates multiple classes over the course of a year, it allows teachers to earn 24 credits, putting them well over the requirements to move up the pay scale and earn a salary raise.

Kimokeo hopes to offer a complementary six-credit program in the future to allow teachers to move up one more class on the salary scale while continuing their education in Hawaiian music.  

In addition to advancing teachers’ salaries, professional development plays an important role in growing the state’s workforce and retaining educators, said Amber Makaiau, an associate specialist at the University of Hawaii Manoa’s College of Education. Best classroom practices are constantly evolving, Makaiau added, and educators want to learn how to better support their communities and possibly enter leadership roles later in their careers. 

“I think it’s a fundamental part of what it means to be a teacher,” she said. 

Barriers to Learning

Once Jade Pham earned her teacher certification, she was determined to maximize her professional development opportunities. Pham, who now serves as a temporarily assigned vice principal and student services coordinator at Kawananakoa Middle School, reached the top of DOE’s salary scale within four years by taking classes in Hawaiian language, classroom management and more. 

“I never really stopped learning how to teach,” Pham said. Teachers can advance in the salary scale up to two times in a school year using their professional development credits.

With DOE’s plans to open a new salary class next year that would raise teachers’ maximum salaries to over $100,00, Pham said she anticipates a greater demand for professional development courses. 

But some teachers say they would like the department to make professional development more accessible.

Over the past few years, Kubo said, it’s sometimes been difficult to find available professional development courses, although he has taken valuable classes on topics like coding or virtual learning. It’s not always easy to find options that fit his schedule and are also affordable, Kubo added, especially when certain classes are in high demand. 

The process of developing and submitting portfolios can also be challenging, said Sunset Beach Elementary teacher Rex Dubiel Shanahan. She was initially unsure how to upload samples of student work to her online portfolio and believes the cost of courses and the required time commitment could also deter some teachers. 

“It is a heavy, heavy workload,” she said.  

The department has recently tried to expand its range of professional development opportunities by allowing teachers to count certain university classes for credit even if they’re not working toward a degree in education, Makaimoku-Young said. Since the pandemic, she added, more instructors have offered lessons online to reach more educators, particularly those on outer islands. 

But the department has put a hold on approving new courses that can be offered for credit. DOE is currently shifting to a new online professional development system and isn’t sure when the transition will be complete, Makaimoku-Young said. 

Roughly 2,000 teachers are enrolled in professional development courses that DOE will still offer in the upcoming school year. 

Moving forward, Kimokeo said, he’s hoping to develop more partnerships with local organizations that can provide tuition support for students taking his Hawaiian music course. The program costs over $3,000, Kimokeo said, although the is offering financial support to teachers in certain parts of Oahu, the Big Island, Molokai and Kauai. 

“I know our program is good, and I know it’s useful,” Kimokeo said. 

Makaiau said she would also like more opportunities for teachers to fully immerse themselves in professional development, such as by having the option to take a semester away from the classroom and take education courses full-time. Teachers currently receive 21 hours of professional development embedded throughout their year, which can help them earn credits for an eventual raise, but the training doesn’t always fit the specific needs of educators, Makaiau added.

“Teachers want to be getting better at what they do,” Makaiau said. “That’s the nature of education.” 

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.