When talking with prospective teachers at Kohala Middle School, Wendy Nickl wants candidates to understand the commitment they’re about to make. The rural community on the Big Island has limited bus routes, a shortage of housing and a 45-minute drive to the nearest McDonald’s.

“It’s so beautiful, but there’s not a lot of the comforts people are used to,” said Nickl, the school’s registrar and testing and advisory coordinator.

Only 42% of teachers have spent five or more years at the same school in the Kohala complex. The complex has an average of nine years of teaching experience, compared to the statewide average of nearly 13, according to Department of Education data from the 2021-2022 school year.

Hawaii has faced a yearslong teacher shortage, but rural areas and neighbor islands often face the brunt of the challenge when it comes to recruiting and retaining licensed teachers. 

University of Hawaii Hilo is aiming to change this. A new major in education studies would establish the university’s first teacher licensing pathway for undergraduate students. The university currently offers licensure for students enrolled in its master’s programs but does not provide the same opportunity for undergraduates on the Big Island.

The UH board of regents approved the major on Friday. UH Hilo will now seek the approval of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board. UH Manoa and UH West Oahu already have licensing pathways for undergraduates.

If approved, the major would begin in the fall and graduate its first class of approximately 25 students in 2028. According to UH Hilo’s proposal to the board of regents, more than 80% of surveyed students in the School of Education expressed interest in the major, with the majority of respondents from Maui and the Big Island. 

“We needed to make our curriculum relevant to the students here,” Michele Ebersole, a UH Hilo professor of education, said during Thursday’s board of regents meeting. 

The proposed major is also part of UH’s response to a 2022 legislative mandate requiring the university to expand its teacher education offerings across the state. 

After Oahu, the Big Island leads the state in the number of emergency hires employed in schools. As of this week, it had 25 vacant positions and 104 emergency hires, according to DOE.

Kelcy Koga, principal at Waiakea High School, said location matters for students when they’re considering career paths.  UH Hilo is within walking distance to the high school’s campus, and some students take introductory education classes at the college, Koga said.

But, he said, it can be a deterrent when aspiring teachers can’t study their preferred major at the local university. It’s not always feasible for students to relocate off-island to pursue an undergraduate teaching degree from UH Manoa or West Oahu, Koga added. 

UH Manoa offers a remote Bachelor of Education degree that allows students to complete their teaching licensure requirements from the island they already live on, said Nathan Murata, dean of the College of Education. But the option is unavailable for students seeking a license in secondary education. 

UH Hilo's new major would require the addition of three faculty members to the School of Education and it would cost roughly $292,500 to start and run the program over the next two academic years. 

The Legislature has previously balked at providing the university funding for teacher preparation, with the mandate for UH to expand its course offerings for prospective teachers going unfunded last year. 

For the 2025 fiscal year, UH Hilo requested $285,000 to create the new major, as well as expand its Indigenous teaching program. The funding was not included in the governor’s proposed budget. 

Regardless of whether the funding comes through from the Legislature, the university is determined to offer the education studies major in the fall, said Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, UH Hilo's interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.

While the requested funding would support two additional staff positions for the major, existing faculty members in the School of Education would be able to serve the first class of students beginning the major in the fall, Kawaiʻaeʻa said. Entering students will also enroll in classes outside of the School of Education to fulfill their core course requirements, she added.

"We're going to use as much as we can that's available, but we’re going to continue to pursue funding as the program matures," she said.

Civil Beat's education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.