Hawaii is the only state with a single, unified school system. The Department of Education (DOE) operates 255 regular schools and 3 special schools. Student enrollment exceeds 182,000.
The DOE has adopted standards-based reform and the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, establishing high expectations of academic and professional performance and accountability at all levels in the statewide public school system. Professional educators are the cornerstone of the state's mission to prepare Hawaii’s youngsters for the 21st Century.
Most of Hawaii’s schools embrace the concept of School Community Councils (SCC), which involves shared decisionmaking, encourages parental participation, provides administrative flexibility, and empowers school communities.
Employment Opportunities:
The Department of Education employs almost 13,000 teachers, librarians and counselors. The renewed emphasis on excellence in education has contributed to an increase in teachers’ salaries, reduced class size, improved curricula, and expanded educational resources.
Geographically, job opportunities occur on all islands—Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kauai. However, the greatest demand for new teachers occurs on the neighbor islands and in the more rural areas of Oahu, away from the major population center of Honolulu. Special education and mathematics remain the highest need subject areas.
For more information on job opportunities in Hawaii, visit the Hawaii Department of Education Office of Human Resources.
Licensure Requirements:
The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (http://www.htsb.org) requires candidates to meet licensure requirements. They are:
Completing a State-approved teacher education program from an accredited institution, and
Passing appropriate PRAXIS tests at the State-validated levels.
The Department of Education requires completion of a structured interview with an authorized professional staff interviewer. Teachers are eligible for tenure after completing two consecutive semesters of probation. A teacher must possess a teaching license before starting probation. Sometimes a teacher is permitted to begin employment without fully meeting standards. In these cases, employment is temporary to a maximum of three school years and these teachers do not have an opportunity to earn tenure.
Hawaii has recently broadened its acceptance of alternative route programs.Western Governors University was among the first to be accepted. Even though new teacher hires have decreased significantly recently, some non-certificated special education and mathematics teachers will be hired. Once budget cuts are lifted, Hawaii will likely continue its two special education programs - ARLISE and BASE.
Salary and Compensation:
The collective bargaining contract establishes the annual salary rates for new teachers. Such information is published annually to reflect the most current salaries in the document
“Teachers’ Salary Schedule.”
Up to six years of non-DOE teaching experience is accepted for salary placement. Experience must be officially verified before being credited and must have been in a recognized K-12 public or private school. Certain active military experience, up to four years, may also be used in combination with acceptable teaching experience for salary credit, allowing an individual to enter at a higher step. A combination of teaching and military experience may not exceed six years.
Application Procedure:
If you meet the requirements for teaching and have a strong desire to nurture and develop students to become contributing members of an educated society, the Department encourages you to apply for teaching or specialist positions in Hawaii’s public schools. School librarians and school counselors are specialist positions. To apply for employment, obtain a complete application from the Hawaii Department of Education.
Other Information:
For more information about working and living in Hawaii, contact the Chamber of Commerce for the island on which you plan to reside as well as the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.
The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (Oahu)
1132 Bishop Street, Suite 402
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 •
Phone: (808) 545-4300
http://cochawaii.com
Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce
106 Kamehameha Avenue
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 935-7178
www.globalindex.com
Kauai Island Chamber of Commerce
2970 Kele Street, Suite 112
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii 96766
Phone: (808) 245-7363
www.kauaichamber.com
Maui Island Chamber of Commerce
313 Ano Street
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 96732
Phone: (808) 871-7711
www.mauichamber.com
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
2270 Kalakaua Avenue, Suite 801
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Phone: (808) 923-1811
www.hvcb.org