Kaʻū News Briefs, Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Honuʻea: The Endangered Hawksbill Turtle of Hawaiʻi Island is the subject of this year's first Coffee Talk at Kahuku  on Friday, Feb. 22, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Kahuku Unit's Visitor Center. See details in events section. Bigstock photo

SUBSIDIZING HOUSING FOR TEACHERS is making its way through the Hawaiʻi Legislature. West Kaʻū Sen. Dru Kanuha is co-sponsor of the voucher program. He said, "I'm proud to support SB12 and SB114 (introduced by Sen. Stanley Chang) -- which would provide housing vouchers for teachers who work at hard-to-fill schools."
       Teachers in Kaʻū schools could meet the requirements. Other areas in the state where vouchers would be offered include Keaʻau, Pāhoa, Molokaʻi, Lanaʻi, Hana, Nanakuli, and Waianae. They would be available for charter and traditional public school teachers.

Sen. Dru Kanuha

     The voucher program administered by Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp. would provide assistance to full-time teachers where positions are "hard-to-fill." The subsidies would be for teachers whose incomes fall below 80 percent of the median income of those who live in the area. Vouchers would be capped at $500 per month.
     Vouchers could be used for rent, mortgages, and down payments on purchasing primary residences. Those receiving vouchers would be disqualified if they own other places to live.
     Hawaiʻi Department of Education Superintendent Christina Kishimoto supports the measure. She submitted testimony referring to a 2016 Learning Policy Institute study. She wrote that "housing incentives was one factor for teachers who left the profession in their consideration in returning to the field of education. The financial assistance provided through the voucher program may help to ease some of the financial burden, magnified by high cost of living in Hawaiʻi."

     Lindsay Chambers, a Department of Education spokesperson, said it's an effort to come up with a tool for recruitment and retention of quality educators. Several testimonies noted that the teacher shortage results in the hiring of less qualified persons and vacancies at public schools.
    The state Charter School Commission also provided supportive testimony.
    Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association – the public school teachers union –  sent in testimony saying, "Financial incentives are a key strategy for the recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly given that Hawaiʻi's teacher salaries continue to trail the nation when adjusted for cost of living. If we concentrate on retaining our teachers, the HIDOE would not have to focus so much on the recruitment of teachers. To recruit and retain effective educators, policymakers must find ways to lessen the financial burden of being a public school teacher. Establishing a housing voucher program is a good first step."

     The Hawaiʻi Democratic Party provided testimony saying: "Hawaiʻi teachers experience the lowest salaries for their profession in the nation, when those salaries are adjusted for the cost of living. At the same time, island housing and rental prices are continuing to skyrocket."

     The two measures, Senate Bills 12 and 114, passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee last week. See and provide testimony at the links above.

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TEACHERS WHO SPEND THEIR OWN MONEY ON CLASSROOM SUPPLIES may get some relief this year from the Hawaiʻi Legislature. House Bill 726 would provide up to $500 per school year in state income tax credit for teachers, principals, school librarians, aides, and counselors who work a minimum of 900 hours. The teachers union reports that about 47 percent of these Department of Education employees spend $250 to $500 out of their own pockets to supplement supplies in the workplace. The bill is being considered in the House Finance Committee. See testimony at the link above.

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LEO ASUNCION IS THE NEW PUC APPOINTEE by Gov. David Ige. Asuncion's appointment to the Public Utilities Commission, which oversees electric rates and other utilities and transportation matters, faces state Senate confirmation. He would replace Randy Iwase, who retired at the end of last year.

     Asuncionis planning program administrator for the state's Office of Planning, overseeing overall management, administration, and operations of the Planning Division. He also served as director and interim director of the Office of Planning from 2015 to 2018.

     Asuncion was a senior regulatory analyst and senior integrated resource planning analyst at Hawaiian Electric Company; a project planner/manager at SSFM International, Inc.; a planner for the Planning and Program Evaluation Division at the Hawai‘i State Judiciary; and a state planner at the state Land Use Commission.

     "Leo's wealth of knowledge and experience will be an asset to the Public Utilities Commission. I have the utmost confidence that he will serve the State of Hawai‘i well," said the governor.

     "I'm honored that Gov. Ige named me to the Public Utilities Commission, and I look forward to bringing my expertise and knowledge to the PUC to ensure that the public's interest is upheld in PUC matters," said Asuncion.

     Other commissioners are Jennifer Potter and James Griffin, who was appointed PUC chair in January.

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KAʻŪ'S REP. IN CONGRESS, TULSI GABBARD, LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT that has recently taken her to Iowaand New Hampshire. She said, "The momentum we are building and the support you are showing will help propel our campaign forward in the primaries. Everywhere I go, I'm reminded of how strong our voices are when we stand united. It's humbling to hear from folks who braved snow storms or drove for hours to make their voices heard. Looking out into a crowd of hopeful and determined faces, the energy is electric."

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, meeting veterans in New England this week.  Photo from Gabbard's Twitter

     She said she and her supporters "stand united against a political establishment and a status quo that is failing us. We stand united against regime change war, the new cold war, and the nuclear arms race. We stand united against the corruption and big money interests that have poisoned our government.

     "We stand united for clean air and clean water. We stand united for Medicare for All and reform to our broken criminal justice system, big Wall Street banks, and our immigration system — to ensure our government is truly of, by, and for the people."

     The House of Representatives member said the next step is to "take our voices to the debate stage. The establishment isn't going to go out of their way to make room for a message that challenges a system they've rigged in their favor — so it's up to us to make sure that message reaches the country." She reminded supporters that her campaign rejects PAC money, relying solely on small contributions from individuals.