Hawaii teachers inundate Board of Education with testimony against pay cuts

By Susan Essoyan  May 8, 2020 CRAIG T. KOJIMA / 2019 This year started out with a bold move to combat Hawaii’s educator shortage by boosting pay for teachers in hard-to-staff geographic areas, special education and Hawaiian immersion. But COVID-19 has thrown the state’s once robust finances into turmoil. Pictured is Gov. David Ige at a…

Illinois teachers get new minimum base salary

By Michael Urbanec 8:26 pm The Times files A new minimum salary for Illinois teachers passed through the House and Senate around the same time lawmakers worked on recreational marijuana legalization and a gambling expansion. The bill is aimed at addressing the state’s teacher shortage. The new legislation sets the salary floor at $40,000 for public…

Public schools get failing grades in new survey by Fort Lauderdale residents

By BRITTANY WALLMAN JUN 08, 2019  Broward public schools in the city of Fort Lauderdale are not popular with city residents, a newly released survey found. (Lindsay Brown, Sun Sentinel) Public schools in Fort Lauderdale got low marks in the city’s latest annual survey, a criticism the city is getting used to hearing. Satisfaction with the…

Attacking public education is not productive

By Dave Perry Jun 8, 2019 A thriving school system, inclusive of a free public education, provides students with the tools needed to not only overcome the obstacles facing our state, but also to be positioned for success as responsible citizens. Horace Mann famously said, “Education is the great equalizer.” Education can break the cycle…