Bill to raise Hawaii DOE superintendent pay cap sparks controversy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More raises could be coming for some key Hawaii government officials.

It comes just seven months after the Honolulu City Council’s controversial 64% pay raise.

Hawaii DOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi currently makes $240,000 a year. The highest he can get paid by state law is $250,000, a number that is similar to what some superintendents in small cities make.

A bill would raise that cap to $350,000, but there’s no shortage of frustration when talking about pay increases for government officials.

The public outcry over raises was enough to get 3 out of 9 Honolulu city council members to turn down a hefty pay increase last July that would’ve bumped their salary up to $113,000 a year.

Now, a bill going through the state legislature looks to update the superintendent’s salary cap, which the DOE says hasn’t been changed in 10 years.

However, some lawmakers of the Senate Education Committee hesitate, given the current public sentiment.

“We was apparently due for raises before I came here, and they didn’t take it because it wasn’t good from the taxpayers people perspective of the pay raise,” said State Sen. Kurt Fevella.

But some say that despite public disdain for raises, Hawaii’s superintendent’s salary lags.

In North Platte, Nebraska, with a population of around 23,000, the superintendent makes a reported $240,000.

That’s the same as Hawaii’s superintendent, who oversees 170,000 students alone.

The bill still needs to pass the House and Senate, and DOE officials say it would only change the salary cap, and the actual salary itself would still be up for debate.

It also comes as discussions are underway to increase Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan’s salary.

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