HONOLULU - Hawaii schools will stay closed on many Fridays after negotiators broke off talks to restore instructional days to the nation's shortest school year.
The governor's negotiators walked out of discussions with educators and the teachers union Wednesday, meaning the 34 furlough days will continue this school year and next.
No further talks are scheduled, and schools will close Friday for their seventh furlough day since October.
''Education in the state of Hawaii has been dealt a horrible blow today,'' said Jo Curran, a member of the parent group Hawaii Education Matters. ''It's not looking good at all.''
Gov. Linda Lingle's administration blamed the Hawaii State Teachers Association for blocking a deal.
''Regrettably, the seven-member HSTA Bargaining Committee continues to stand in the way of over 170,000 children returning to class,'' according to a statement from Lingle's senior policy adviser, Linda Smith, and Human Resources Development Director Marie Laderta. ''The HSTA has failed to seize this opportunity to solve the Furlough Friday issue.''
Union leaders said the governor's team was unwilling to compromise on its position that no more than $50 million be spent and that all remaining furlough days be restored.
''To have a position of 'take it or leave it' is not a situation of collaborating or discussing,'' said HSTA President Wil Okabe.
A substantial state budget shortfall prompted Lingle to cut allocations to the Department of Education earlier this year. During labor contract negotiations with the teachers union, the department and the state Board of Education agreed to furloughs as the best way to cope with the reduced allocations.
The new pact, which Lingle agreed to, cut 17 days from the 180-day school year and reduced teacher pay by 8 percent.
Lingle's $50 million proposal would have lowered the pay cut by about 2.8 percent, if teachers gave up planning days in exchange for instructional days. That would have restored the 27 remaining furlough days this school year and next.
The union balked at the idea of giving up planning days or holding a vote of the state's 13,000 teachers on the governor's plan. The union said the $50 million could have been used to restore the remaining 10 furlough days scheduled for this school year.
Negotiations may continue next week without the governor's representatives present, said Board of Education Chairman Garrett Toguchi. The governor's consent would not be required for a supplemental agreement.
Toguchi said the talks ended Wednesday after the union rejected the governor's proposal and the governor's team made no counteroffer. ''For whatever reason, the governor's team decided to hold steady on their position,'' he said.
The administration said the union was unwilling to have teachers supervise students during lunch hours on campuses and playgrounds, and the union didn't want teachers to voluntarily participate in after-school activities such as glee club, debate team, robotics or prom night.
But the union said those statements were taken out of context during discussions of whether teachers could use lunch or after-school time for planning instead.
The $50 million would have been available from the state's rainy day fund, which both the House and the Senate were prepared to raid to restore the school year. But without an agreement with the union, the money can't be used.
