Originally Published: 26 JUL 22 08:42 ET

By Cynthia Yip

HONOLULU (KITV) -- The Hawaii State Teachers Association held an Un-retirement Party today for educators.

Despite a wave of retirements during COVID and the Great Resignation, these teachers are planning to return to their classrooms this school year. That's because state lawmakers and the Governor approved extra funding to ensure that teachers are properly compensated.

“So thousands of them are stuck in the middle of the salary scale, we call that salary compression," says Osa Tui, Jr., HSTA Teachers President. "Their pay has remained low as more recently hired teachers received regular raises. So the legislature approved and Governor Ige signed into law a state budget that included more than 130 million dollars to fix salary compression."

The salaries of about 8,700 educators will increase by between $7,000 and $26,000, depending on their years of experience. This increase impacts some public and charter school teachers who have been stuck or compressed in the middle of the salary scale for decades, including Melissa Padilla who has been an educator for 30 years.

Melissa Padilla a teacher at James Campbell High School says, “Now, veteran teachers like me will have our salaries uncompressed, and we can look around to be mentors for incoming teachers or training teachers on our campuses. Because we need teachers and how else are we going to get new teachers if we aren’t there to help mentor them.”

Ashley Olson, a teacher at Lahainaluna High School says, “It’s a lot more than just the current paycheck that takes a hit, so now I have an opportunity to improve my state pension and it means that students at Lahainaluna High School are not going to lose my institutional knowledge. My love of the school community. My experience and my expertise for a little while longer.”

Unlike other school districts across the country, educators who have taught in Hawaii for a little more than a decade endured the last recession when the state did not grant teachers any raises, so their pay stagnated for several years, causing thousands of teachers to have their salaries compressed and stuck on the same salary step with no increases for years.

“I think it was about time for the legislature to address this issue, because it was focused on correcting or promoting fairness and promoting experience in our schools," says House Speaker Scott Saiki (D). "The bottom line is that students our children will benefit".

So for now, more veteran teachers will be in Hawaii public classrooms helping to shape the future of our island Keiki.