ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd nˈaɪn, wˌɛn ðə həwˈaɪiː stˈeɪt dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən pˈɑːɹʃəli fˈɜːloʊd tˈiːtʃɚz dˈuː tə bˈʌdʒɪt kənstɹˈeɪnts bɹˈɔːt baɪ ðə ɡɹˈeɪt ɹᵻsˈɛʃən, hˈuːsɚ spˈoʊk ˈaʊt ɐɡˈɛnst ðə fˈɜːloʊz ænd ˈædvəkˌeɪɾᵻd jˈuːzɪŋ mˈʌni fɹʌmðə həwˈaɪiː hˈɜːɹᵻkˌeɪn ɹᵻlˈiːf fˈʌnd tə pɹɪvˈɛnt ðə lˈɔs ʌv ɪnstɹˈʌkʃənəl tˈaɪm.
In 2009, when the Hawaii State Department of Education partially furloughed teachers due to budget constraints brought by the Great Recession, Hooser spoke out against the furloughs and advocated using money from the Hawaii hurricane relief fund to prevent the loss of instructional time.