UPDATED: The Board of Education approved the department’s proposal to make bullying a Class A offense — among several revisions to its student misconduct code.

Teachers have a half-million dollars of their own to support the proposal, while unions organize opposition to a constitutional convention.

They seek a ruling before the Nov. 6 vote on a constitutional amendment that would authorize the state to collect property taxes.

The proposed constitutional amendment is already one of the most contentious issues to go before voters in the 2018 election.

The proposed raises would be at slightly lower percentages than DOE employees represented by unions.

The July agreement pertains to a claim that school officials failed to address anti-gay slurs directed at two Big Island students.

The Legislature will be asked to replace money from an expiring federal grant that helped establish 18 pre-K charter classrooms.

UPDATED: All four Hawaii counties had challenged the wording of a constitutional amendment authorizing the state to tax investment property to help fund education.

Board members want state education officials to clarify some points in the code governing student misconduct and discipline.

The state was told in January its administrative law does not comply with federal anti-discrimination regulations.

The ruling, however, said the allegations “may warrant further investigation” by state agencies.

The state received a $600,000 grant to help recruit current and former service members for new careers in island classrooms.