The Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA) has announced that it “enthusiastically recommends” Gov. David Ige for re-election owing to his demonstration of leadership for Hawai‘i and the nation.
“It is a privilege of the HSTA to recommend Gov. David Ige for four more years as governor because he has been a leader for human and civil rights as well as a strong advocate for Hawai‘i’s public schools, teachers and keiki,” said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee.
Rosenlee cited Gov. Ige’s response to President Trump’s executive order to prohibit incoming travelers from Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iran and Libya.
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“Certainly we felt compelled to take a stand against the executive order which, to us, is clearly focused on national origin and religious basis,” Gov. Ige said when he announced that the State of Hawai‘i planned to sue the federal government over the immigration ban.
“Gov. Ige made Hawai‘i the first state in the nation to stand up to the National Rifle Association by signing a key gun control bill,” Rosenlee added.
The new law enters Hawai‘i gun owners into an FBI database to notify authorities if they are arrested anywhere else in the country. Residents who break the law in other states will be prevented from legally purchasing firearms.
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Rosenlee also attributed HSTA’s support of Gov. Ige to his work in the education sector, including getting air conditioning and cooling measures in more than 1,300 classrooms and working to strengthen contracts for local teachers. As a result, 98 percent of public school teachers voted in favor of the contract which will bring a 14 percent raise for educators over four years.
HSTA also praised Gov. Ige for his work with the Department of Education to take advantage of new provisions under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Working with some 3,000 teachers and the community, the governor’s task force is working to assess students based on project-based testing that require higher thinking instead of standardized bubble tests.
The HSTA said it plans to announce recommendations for other key political races in the coming week.
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