A 38-year-old former elementary school resource teacher now faces at least five years in federal prison after her guilty pleas yesterday to drug-trafficking and firearm charges.

The case of Bronwyn Kugle, who formerly worked at Ka'elepulu Elementary School, was among several cited by supporters who pushed for mandatory drug testing for public-school teachers this year.

Kugle, who admitted she's been addicted to methamphetamine, pleaded guilty to financing and trying to obtain a parcel sent to her Kailua home in February this year that contained 2 pounds of cocaine and 989 tablets of MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.

She also agreed to forfeit her Kailua home, which was used for her drug activities.

Kugle, who takes Prozac and other medication for depression, a bipolar disorder and anxiety, told a federal judge yesterday that her use of illegal drugs was "very embarrassing because I am a teacher."

What started out as a way to support her drug habit led to her trying to make some money, she said as she wiped her eyes during the hearing and choked back tears several times.

She also said she kept a loaded .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver in a dresser drawer under some clothes in her master bedroom for her own protection, then forgot it was there.

But she said her February arrest in the case was a "blessing in disguise."

Kugle, who has been held without bail since her arrest, said she's been sober for 120 days.

"I'm really sorry," she told U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway.

Kugle was one of four O'ahu public-school teachers charged with drug offenses that included marijuana smoking and "ice" sales. Their cases helped fuel the successful campaign for mandatory random drug testing for public-school teachers for the first time here.

In other cases, two Mililani Middle School teachers pleaded "no contest" to petty misdemeanor marijuana charges, and a former Leilehua High School teacher was sentenced last week to four years in federal prison for selling ice to an undercover agent last year.

None of the cases involved drug distribution to students.

In the wake of those cases, Gov. Linda Lingle's administration sought mandatory drug testing in the collective bargaining agreement with the more than 13,000 public-school teachers, who ratified the contract.

Roger Takabayashi, president of the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, yesterday said they are always disappointed when a teacher is involved with drugs.

He said the union is dedicated to keeping the schools drug-free.

With the new contract, the HSTA will be working with the Department of Education to come up with a drug-testing program that is both "workable" for the DOE and "fair" to the teachers. The target date for implementation is July 1, 2008, he said.

But Takabayashi said even if the random drug testing were in place, it is likely that Kugle would not have been caught because ice leaves the body relatively quickly and she might not have been selected for testing.

FOUR TEACHERS PROSECUTED

Greg Knudsen, DOE spokesman, said they support all efforts by law enforcement agencies to rid drugs from the schools.

"At the same time, we wanted it to be kept in perspective that the cases thus far have been a very small percentage of our total workforce and that it should not be a negative reflection on the teachers as a whole," he said.

Of the four teachers prosecuted, Kugle's may be the most egregious in view of the amount of drugs, the loaded revolver and her providing money for the drug trafficking.

Kugle, who assisted classroom teachers and worked individually with students, had been at the elementary school for five years and with the department for 6 1/2 years.

She resigned after her arrest Feb. 13.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kawahara said Kugle gave $60,000 to her co-defendant, Jesse Lee Badillo, 28, described as a friend of Kugle's boyfriend, to get drugs on the Mainland to send to her Kailua home on Ulumawao Street. Badillo is awaiting trial scheduled for next month.

Kugle used some of the money from refinancing her home for the drug trafficking, Kawahara said.

"She wanted to make a quick buck for whatever reason at the expense of everyone else in the state of Hawai'i," Kawahara said.

He said what concerned him the most is that she was willing to finance the drug trafficking.

Also recovered from her home were 100 tablets of Ecstasy, he said.

As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors will drop other charges, but she pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking, which calls for a prison term of at least five years, Kawahara said.

Kugle's lawyer, Howard Luke, said he hopes his client will get the lowest possible sentence and hopes it will be less than five years.

He said his client has had a long history of depression, anxiety and other disorders and has been in therapy for a number of years. "She's accepting responsibility for what she was involved in," he said.

Kugle appeared to have some difficulty in pleading guilty to the forfeiture count that gives the government her home. Luke said she had hoped it would be available to her three young children.

He said by all accounts, Kugle was a good teacher who dedicated her life to helping educate children. She must pay for her offenses and has a long road to recovery for her addiction, he said.

"When all is said and done, she'll go back to serving the community in some way, hopefully as a teacher, but I don't know if that's possible," he said.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.