END TUG-OF-WAR OVER TEACHER DRUG TESTING

The Issue

The deadline to implement a program testing public school teachers
for substance abuse passed with no plan in place.

The state Department of Education appears to be creating an
unnecessary bureaucracy and expense to carry out random drug testing
for public school teachers.

The department already conducts testing for bus drivers, physical
therapists who work with deaf and blind students and auto mechanics
instructors, and while testing teachers could involve larger numbers,
the estimated cost of more than $500,000 a year seems excessive.

The program that teachers agreed to as part of their contract last
year was supposed to be in place by now -- the deadline was last
Monday -- but has been delayed as their union, the department, the
Board of Education and the Lingle administration wrangle over
procedures and costs, specifically where funds to pay for testing are
going to come from.

The board refused to assign money for testing. Gov. Linda Lingle
refused to add funding to the education budget. Meanwhile, the Hawaii
State Teachers Association has been negotiating the mechanics of the
program for the 13,000 teachers.

The department says it needs a new division and up to nine new job
positions to implement the program, which explains the cost, but it
isn't clear why such an elaborate operation is needed.

The number of teachers to be tested hasn't been made known, but if
the department follows the general model of private employers who
test 10 to 20 percent of workers at a cost of about $35 each, lab
work for 2,600 teachers would come in at $91,000.

In any case, the board, department, union and administration should
end this tug-of-war and move ahead with the program.