We're facing the reality that salaries have lagged, and we don't want to lose people. Salza noted that the nationwide shortage of teachers was especially acute in the areas of math, science and special education. Punahou School also cited faculty compensation as a factor in its tuition hikes, ranging from 5.3 percent to 7.7 percent. The hikes are uneven because Punahou aims to eventually charge the same tuition at all grade levels. The Hongwanji Mission School is raising tuition 7.2 percent to fund teacher raises, after four years with the same salary schedule.
Salaries are our biggest expense.
When they go up, so does tuition. She mentioned the teacher shortage in a letter sent home to parents. But not all tuition increases are bigger than usual. Several well-known institutions, including Iolani School and Le Jardin Windward Oahu Academy, kept their hikes around 3 percent. We're mindful of the burden on parents and have tried to keep our increase moderate.