In Hawaiʻi, we’re used to hearing the same old story: the ones at the top get rewarded while the folks doing the real work – our teachers, aides, and service providers – struggle to stay afloat.
The latest example?
The Board of Education approving a fat pay raise for Superintendent Keith Hayashi, bumping his salary from $249,600 to nearly $295,000, with a chance to hit over $400,000 by 2029.
That’s an 18% raise for a leader who still can’t explain where $100 million went under the “Cool Classroom Initiative.”
We were told that this raise would make his pay “competitive” with that of his mainland counterparts.
But let’s be real, local families, local teachers, and local keiki don’t care about keeping up with mainland prices.
They care about whether our classrooms are cooled, our teachers are supported, and our students are learning.
Under Hayashi’s leadership, none of that has been happening in a pono way.
Just months ago, testimony poured in from speech-language pathologists, teachers, and DOE staff opposing these executive raises.
They spoke from the heart about the reality in our schools: unbearable workloads, unfilled positions, and salaries that don’t even come close to a livable wage.
As one SLP wrote, “If there are funds available for raises for the Superintendent and his subordinates, then there must be money to compensate dedicated and committed employees in a fair and just manner.”
That’s the kind of kōkua our system needs, not more perks for the ones already making six figures.
Meanwhile, the DOE’s track record with public funds has been anything but clean.
The “Cool Classroom Initiative” aimed to make 1,000 classrooms comfortable for our keiki, but only 838 received A/C, and even those often broke or ran just a few hours a day.
Millions went to consultants and vendors while local schools sweated it out.
When asked for transparency, Hayashi’s DOE couldn’t even provide a full account of where the $100 million went.
That’s not leadership, that’s a lack of kuleana.
So why is the Board rewarding him? Why are we paying more for a superintendent who’s failed to show fiscal responsibility, accountability, or transparency?
The message this sends to teachers is loud and clear: leadership comes with luxury, while classroom work comes with struggle.
That’s not pono. That’s not how we take care of our people.
If the DOE genuinely values its workforce, that $45,000 raise should have been used to increase starting teacher salaries, hire more support staff, and address the shortages that leave classrooms without qualified educators.
Until every keiki has a cool, safe, well-staffed classroom, no one at the top should be getting a raise.
It’s time we hold our leaders accountable, not reward them for failure.
Hawaiʻi deserves better than this.
Our teachers deserve better.
And most of all, our keiki deserve leaders who live aloha, act with integrity, and remember their kuleana to serve, not to cash in.
