Toward the beginning of his State of the State address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie put pressure on Hawaii teachers to find an agreement with the state. The governor spoke of “leaving behind the drama of the recent past.”

“The teachers still have not ratified a contract,” Abercrombie said according to prepared remarks provided by the governor’s office. “I will continue to press for a resolution.”

In a surprise move last week, teachers rejected a tentative contract. The state has about two months to resolve the situation before federal officials visit the state to decide whether the state can keep $75 million in federal grant money.

The U.S. Department of Education placed Hawaii on “high-risk” status for its failure to implement aspects of Race to the Top grants. An agreement between Hawaii teachers and the state will be a critical part of convincing the feds that Hawaii is on track.

For his part, Abercrombie said in his speech that he is confident, taking cues from President Barack Obama‘s “we can’t wait” narrative: 

“We cannot wait any longer. We wanted to cross the Race to the Top finish line side-by-side with the HSTA. Make no mistake we will cross that finish line. Our students deserve no less.