Bill > HB89

This bill establishes a Teacher Housing Assistance Program to address Hawaii's chronic teacher turnover and recruitment challenges, particularly in hard-to-staff schools. The program will provide housing vouchers to eligible full-time teachers who have worked in public schools or charter schools for at least one year and commit to teaching at a hard-to-staff school for five consecutive years. Eligible teachers can use the vouchers for rent, mortgage payments, or down payments on a primary residence, with the voucher not exceeding a certain monthly amount and renewable for up to two years. Applicants must meet specific criteria, including residing in Hawaii, having a household income below a certain percentage of the area median income, and not owning additional residential property. If a teacher fails to meet the work requirements, they must repay the total voucher amount as a loan. The program will be administered by the Department of Education through a lottery system if applications exceed available vouchers, and the funds will come from the Teachers' Housing Revolving Fund. The bill aims to alleviate the financial burden on teachers and improve retention in a state with a notoriously high cost of living and low teacher salaries relative to other states.

Budget and Finance, Education, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=89&year=2025