Teacher review legislation dies
HONOLULU (AP) — A bill that would have required new performance evaluations for Hawaii teachers has died a few weeks before the end of the state’s legislative session.
The bill’s demise last week comes soon after a federal team visited Hawaii to review progress on reforms promised by the state in winning a $75 million grant.
A revamped evaluation system is key to the fate of the grant, which the U.S. Department of education has warned could be lost because of unsatisfactory progress.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association lobbied against the bill, arguing it supersedes collective bargaining.
Credit union pay kept secret
HONOLULU (AP) — A gap in federal law allows Hawaii credit unions not to publicly disclose the salaries of top executives.
The secretive nature of management pay is raising questions at a time when the industry is lobbying to preserve exemption from Oahu property taxes.
Other nonprofits in Hawaii and nearly 3,000 credit unions on the mainland are required to disclose compensation data for their highest-paid executives.
City Council Budget Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi says if Oahu’s larger credit unions are unwilling to disclose that information, they could lose all or a portion of their property tax exemption.
The 10 largest credit unions in Hawaii declined or did not respond to a newspaper’s request to voluntarily disclose compensation data for their five highest-paid executives.
Groups oppose water nominee
HONOLULU (AP) — Members of the Native Hawaiian community, legal experts and environmentalists gathered at Iolani Palace Monday to protest a Commission on Water Resources Management appointment.
The community members say they question how Ted Yamamura, a Maui land appraiser, has enough water resources management experience to serve on the state’s oversight commission.
Speakers from Earthjustice, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, the Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters criticized the selection process and questioned why the nominating committee bypassed candidates with water management expertise.
The full Senate must confirm the appointment.
