A number of efforts are under way to help keep teachers in Hawaii classrooms as the turnover rate remains an obstacle for the state Department of Education.
The teacher turnover rate averages 15.7% statewide, according to the state Department of Education’s recent analysis. Some schools have posted turnover rates of 30% to 50% over two years.
Efforts in recent years to recruit and retain teachers include the state expanding faster, more flexible licensure pathways.
The University of Hawaii in 2024 grew its $4.9 million teacher apprenticeship program, which allowed aspiring educators work in classrooms while earning a bachelor’s degree and licensure through a partnership with DOE. The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board also has expanded alternative assessment routes that allow experienced or nontraditional candidates to demonstrate readiness without completing a full prep program.
The UH College of Education offers tuition stipends for a Bachelor of Education, post-baccalaureate and Master of Education in Teaching programs, with a three-year teaching commitment in a Hawaii public school.
In additional efforts to fill vacancies, the DOE offers location and subject-area shortage differentials ranging from about $3,000 to $8,000, with some high-need fields receiving up to $10,000. Harder-to-staff Hawaii island schools such as Honoka‘a and Ka‘u receive $7,500. Tier 4 schools — the most remote — have seen some improvements in retention.
But pay incentives alone haven’t solved turnover, so statewide efforts are underway to spark interest in teaching careers amid Hawaii’s deepening teacher shortage.
For example, more than 230 students from a dozen public high schools gathered Friday for the third annual “Dive Into Education” event.
Students from eight Oahu campuses — Campbell, Farrington, Kailua, Kalani, Leilehua, Mililani, Pearl City and Waipahu — joined peers from Maui High, Konawaena and Honoka‘a High &Intermediate on Hawaii island.
The day included more than a dozen student-requested sessions on DOE salary and benefits, building relationships in the classroom, integrating AI, making math relevant and reaching diverse learners. Students also toured Leeward’s Children’s Center and participated in a “Tech Slam” on technology-integration strategies.
About half of new teachers leave the profession within five years and turnover in some schools outpace retirements. A statewide survey of DOE employees found that 41% are considered “retention risks,” largely due to the high cost of housing across the islands.
The DOE found that expanding access to affordable rental and homeownership opportunities would significantly improve retention. Homeownership among DOE employees is well below the state’s 62% average, and demand for affordable rentals remains high. Most survey respondents said affordable housing would make them more likely to remain long-term, and the department warned that retention will continue to suffer without expanded housing support.
Against that backdrop, educators say events like Dive Into Education help rebuild a homegrown pipeline — especially critical for students who want to stay in Hawaii and for rural communities that struggle to recruit and retain teachers.
UH reported that 223 newly hired teachers in 2022-2023 were among those who completed its program — 29.1% of in-state, state-approved hires; and a 2024 survey found 91% of recent alumni still working in education.
Honoka‘a High &Intermediate brought five students to Dive Into Education, all part of a new teaching club launched this year. Academy Director Aaron Tanimoto said the effort grew out of the school’s push to build its own pathway in a rural region where the teaching profession can feel out of reach.
“We’re a small rural school on the Big Island. It’s hard for us to get teachers to come, and we’ve been trying for years to get this pathway off the ground,” he said. “We finally had enough students showing interest that we wanted to start the club now and grow it into a full pathway.”
Because Honoka‘a is a Title I school, students often feel pressure to pursue higher-paying jobs to support their families, he said, noting that hospitality positions can appear more attainable than teaching. Tanimoto also described his own unexpected path into the classroom: after two decades on the mainland, he returned home with no plans to teach but later found it was a way to give back and stay rooted in his community.
He said many students want to remain in Hawaii but feel uncertain about their options. Teaching, he acknowledged, can be challenging at first — building trust with students and adjusting to the demands of the classroom — but ultimately rewarding. Many aspiring teachers, he added, were shaped by one influential educator and hope to have a similar impact.
That’s true for Honokaa senior Faith Bohol, 18, who wants to become a teacher because of Mrs. Miguel — her English teacher who helped her come out of her shell.
“I used to be very shy, but with the help of my teachers I have become much more confident,” she said. “I want to become a teacher to help people who are going through similar things as I have. I want this for everyone.”
Faith hopes to teach art or English in Hawaii, though she isn’t yet sure whether she’ll return to Honoka‘a or Hawaii island; she wants to explore other islands or even the mainland first.
Still, staffing instability remains a problem.
“Students know when teachers are just going to leave,” Tanimoto said. “It affects the whole culture. Half of our staff grew up here and came back to teach, but the other half is kind of a revolving door.”
He said solutions will need to be multi-pronged.
“I would love to see higher wages, but I’m not sure what the next step will be,” he said, adding that faster or more flexible licensure pathways could help attract candidates.
Maui High School teacher Leilani Abafo agreed, saying many schools in her community are hard to staff, and that the qualifications, responsibilities and relationship-building required in the profession can deter potential candidates.
“It’s a challenge for people who want to go into education — whether it’s a second career or something they realized later on — it’s always a challenge.”
This year, Abafo brought four students who have spent four years in Maui High’s education pathway and are committed to becoming teachers. The program lets them spend two days a week at nearby Kahului Elementary, where they work with mentor teachers, gain classroom experience, and build connections with younger students.
Tanimoto said exposing students to a range of teaching environments — especially rural campuses — is key. This year’s event was held on Oahu, but he hopes future gatherings can take students to neighbor islands where teacher shortages are more acute. Seeing what it’s like to live and work outside urban areas, he said, could encourage more students to consider schools that need them most.
Honoka‘a, a Tier 3 school, had a two-year turnover average of 20.6%. In DOE surveys, most teachers support the idea of differentials, but only 31% said the payment personally motivated them, and many said the amount has not kept pace with the cost of living.
As one teacher put it: “Ultimately, differentials are just a Band-Aid. If we don’t address the real, systemic issues, we’ll keep losing good teachers — no matter how much we offer in bonuses.”
Educators said the job can sometimes feel overwhelming and isolating, in part because teaching extends beyond the classroom to include wraparound services and caring for students outside of school. Some of these challenges are linked to broader staffing shortages; for example, having more counselors and support staff could help ease the burden on teachers.
While differential pay serves as an incentive to attract educators to rural or hard-to-staff schools, it is not intended to encourage teachers to take on additional work or responsibilities beyond their regular duties.
A University of Hawaii research brief found that teacher shortages remain severe despite salary differentials. Hawaii schools continue to rely on emergency hires — 738 as of January 2024 — and need to replace roughly 1,200 teachers each year. Chronic underfunding compounds the problem: Hawaii ranks near the bottom nationally in the share of state and local spending on K–12 education, and funding fell 7% in FY 2024 despite a budget surplus.
To address these challenges, the brief recommends that the state Legislature prioritize teacher recruitment and retention, including higher salaries, improved workplace conditions and housing benefits to help educators manage the high cost of living.
Tanimoto said better support for rural students — including travel funding, mentorships, dual-credit opportunities and paid DOE internships — would help more students envision themselves in the field.
Despite the challenges, he said the experience of attending “Dive Into Education” can be transformative.
“I hope they walk away believing this is possible for them,” he said. “They’re going to see hundreds of kids who share this dream. For some, it’s their first time off island — I hope it opens up their world.”
Source: The Garden Island