June 2025

Workforce Housing:

A Key Component to Teacher Retention

Aloha! A quality education can make a world of difference for young students. Teachers play a critical role in their lives. A teacher’s encouraging words, spoken at just the right time, can inspire students to realize their fullest potential and put them on a positive path for the future.

The Ongoing Challenge

Unfortunately, retaining new teachers has been an ongoing challenge in Hawai‘i. Only about half of the new teachers in our state remain in the profession after five years. The turnover can sometimes outpace retirements. Not surprisingly, the primary reason for the high turnover is Hawai‘i’s high cost of living. Many teachers simply find it too difficult to live on a teacher’s salary, especially with our state’s high cost of housing.

A Solution-Oriented Board Meeting

At the Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority board meeting on June 3, the Hawai‘i Department of Education, Hawai‘i State Teachers Association, and the Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority came together to explore solutions to help ensure teachers can remain in the profession they chose and that children can have dedicated teachers and role models. 

DOE Survey Findings

One of those solutions is workforce housing. A survey commissioned by the Hawai‘i Department of Education (DOE) in April 2024 showed that 60% of the DOE respondents said employee workforce housing would likely increase retention. That figure jumps to 80% for those who are non-homeowners. 

The purpose of the survey was to gauge DOE employee views on workforce housing and to explore the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention. The survey was distributed to all 22,540 salaried DOE employees statewide and 9,668 responded, a 43% response rate.



The SFA board meeting gave all of us a lot to think about and showed us that we must all take action. It is a privilege for the SFA team to be part of this important, collaborative effort to support Hawai‘i students and teachers.

Riki

Riki Fujitani

Executive Director

DOE Survey:

Strong Demand for Rental Workforce Housing

Based on a presentation by Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, deputy superintendent for strategy and administration with the Hawai‘i Department of Education, the key takeaway from the DOE survey was clear: There is strong demand for rental workforce housing. The survey showed that:

• 41% of the respondents are likely to leave the DOE due to housing costs.
• 54% are interested in employee workforce housing.
• 75% of non-homeowners are likely to consider signing a lease for the upcoming year if suitable rental housing for employees became available.

HSTA Findings: Teachers Need Relief from

Hawai‘i’s High Cost of Living

Jason Bradshaw, government relations specialist of the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association (HSTA), noted in his presentation at the SFA board meeting that Hawaiʻi has the second highest rents in the country out of all states and U.S. territories, according to Rentdata.org. Housing costs take a significant bite out of a teacher’s salary. The DOE survey showed 41% of respondents, whose median age was 47 years old, share a living space with others in their household and 37% of the respondents have a part-time job.

Based on a rule of thumb that monthly rent should not exceed 30% of an individual’s gross monthly income, a beginning teacher, whose salary would start at $51,835, would be able to afford a monthly rent of $1,295.

The HSTA presentation noted that teacher recruitment and retention requires a multi-pronged solution. HSTA’s recommendations include: 

• Building more teacher housing
• Providing housing assistance to teachers
• Raising teacher wages
• Provide 100 percent employer-covered medical insurance

SFA: Ready to Move Forward on

Additional 25 Workforce Housing Sites

Brian Canevari, SFA program manager responsible for workforce housing, has identified 25 potential teacher workforce housing sites: 15 on O‘ahu, four on Hawai‘i Island, two on Maui, three on Kaua‘i; and one on Lāna‘i. For a complete listing and the SFA board-approved criteria for their selection, click on this SFA presentation. SFA is ready to execute with the goal of building 2,500 rental housing units to serve 11% of the educator workforce by 2030. That breaks down to an average of 250 units per site.

Island Voices: Better Housing Options, Better Teachers

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser published a commentary by Brian Canevari, SFA program manager for workforce housing, and Logan Okita, HSTA vice president and former SFA board member, in the Island Voices section on Sunday, June 18. They wrote:

"Teachers shape the lives of our children and influence their future. We do a disservice to o"ur children if we do not address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage so that students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 can have a quality education.

Only about half of Hawai‘i’s public school teachers remain in the profession after their first five years. The turnover rate sometimes outpaces retirements, exacerbating the shortage of teachers. Not surprisingly, the primary reason for the high turnover is Hawai‘i’s high cost of living. Many teachers simply find it too difficult to live on a teacher’s salary, especially with our state’s high cost of housing." Read more.