Hawaii’s high cost of living creates housing struggle for some teachers

News admin September 3, 2026 0 Comments

Hawaii’s high cost of living creates housing struggle for some teachers

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Housing costs are creating challenges for Hawaii’s public schools as they work to recruit and retain teachers, with one Wahiawa Middle School teacher now worried he may have to leave the state if he cannot find affordable housing.

Dominic Sabatino said he had to scramble to find a place to live after his lease unexpectedly ended.

“I had to scramble to find some housing,” Sabatino said.

Sabatino said his former landlord gave him 45 days to move out after deciding to make the unit available to someone else.

“I was in a place in Kapolei … the landlord wanted to move his buddy in there, who was an Army guy, and gave me 45 days. So I had to leave in the middle of the month,” he said.

With few options, Sabatino said he turned to an Airbnb, which became more expensive and was not sustainable long term.

“I’m receiving no resources at the moment, just my paycheck that I work for,” he said.

The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) acknowledges that housing affordability can be especially difficult for teachers because of their relatively low salaries.

Tammi Oyadomari Chun, HIDOE deputy superintendent for strategy and administration, said a beginning teacher working year-round earns $66,000 this school year.

“For someone just starting out, it is a challenge to be able to afford housing,” Chun said.

An HIDOE survey conducted two years ago found that 41% of employees who responded said housing costs put them at risk of leaving their jobs.

The department currently has 54 teacher cottages in rural communities. It also opened 47 workforce housing units in Lahaina this year.

Another larger workforce housing project is planned at Mililani High School, with about 100 units.

Chun said the project is being designed by the School Facilities Authority and is presented to the neighborhood board monthly. Teachers and other HIDOE employees are expected to receive priority for the housing, although the School Facilities Authority operates separately from the HIDOE.

The project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2029, with tenants moving in afterward. The timeline could change as the project progresses.

For teachers struggling to find housing now, however, the long-term projects do not solve the immediate problem.

Sabatino said he is concerned he could eventually be forced to leave Hawaii and return to the mainland, where he has family.

“Right now, I mean, it’s like I’m looking at possibly not even having a place to stay and then I can’t do that, so I might have to move,” Sabatino said. “And with family back in the mainland. So I don’t want to do that though.”