DOE furloughs to start Jan. 4

Year-round employees could be furloughed up to 10 days with order

Furloughs for teachers and other public school employees will begin Jan. 4, with workers potentially facing six to 10 total furlough days from January to June, according to the state Department of Education.

DOE Superintendent Christina Kishimoto sent a tentative schedule to employees Monday evening following Gov. David Ige's announcement last week that state workers would be furloughed up to two days a month starting next year.

"The department's furlough days take into account that we lost nine instructional days at the beginning of this school year, and we wanted to minimize any further loss of instruction for students," Kishimoto said. "Your commitment and dedication have remained unwavering throughout this pandemic, and this situation is not a reflection of all the hard work you have and continue to deliver on."

According to the memo, 10-month employees are projected to take six furlough days: Jan. 4, Feb. 12, March 1, March 22, April 23 and June 1. These are employees covered by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, including teachers, counselors, registrars and others who are off during intersession breaks, such as summer vacation, DOE spokeswoman Nanea Kalani said.

Twelve-month employees, who work year-round, are projected to take 10 furlough days: Jan. 4, Feb. 12, March 1, March 15, March 22, April 23, June 1, June 18, June 25 and June 28.

Kalani explained that "only the Jan. 4 and Feb. 12 furlough dates are being implemented as the governor's current emergency proclamation needs to be reauthorized. The remaining dates are projected."

She added that Jan. 4 was already scheduled as a teacher work day with no students in school. The week of Feb. 8 to 12 is scheduled to have one institute day -- a contractual workday -- within the week for teachers to meet with their union with no students on campus. Dates will vary by island.

"With the Feb. 12 scheduled furlough day, this means students may have two days off during this week," Kalani told The Maui News on Tuesday.

Employees will not be permitted to substitute vacation, sick or any paid leaves for the furlough days, according to the memo. Any leave without pay taken during the 2020-21 school year will result in a pay adjustment in summer pay for 10-month employees.

Ige announced the furloughs last week with the state facing a $1.4 billion budget shortfall in the general fund for each of the next four years. He said that if the furloughs are effective for a year, they could save the state about $300 million.

The furloughs would reduce employee pay by about 9.2 percent while in effect, the governor said. He and his Cabinet members, including Kishimoto, also will take the same reduction in pay.

Local unions have estimated that more than 30,000 workers will be affected across the state.

Hawaii State Teachers Association President Corey Rosenlee told The Maui News on Tuesday that the union still does not believe that the governor has the right to impose furloughs because the current four-year contract that they're now in the middle of doesn't allow it.

He said the difference between this year and 2009 when then-Gov. Linda Lingle imposed furloughs was that the union agreed to it at the time.

"This is the third governor in a row that has cut teacher pay and funding for education, and it seems like this has become the trend, that whenever there is an economic downturn, to cut education," Rosenlee said. "The research has shown that it impacts our students, especially students from low-income areas. And the research also clearly indicates that every time we do this, it discourages people from going into education."

He said he believed the governor has four alternate choices: using some of the surplus that's currently in the budget, borrowing money as authorized by the state Legislature, waiting to see if Congress passes a stimulus package and/or allowing state lawmakers time to look for ways to increase revenue in the upcoming session.

When asked if he thought one day a month was reasonable if the state does go through with the furloughs, Rosenlee said that "I reject the premise that we have to do it." He pointed out that funding for first responders and the military doesn't get cut, and that other states have found ways to protect education while raising taxes on wealthier sectors.

"I think Hawaii needs to stand up and say no," he said. "It should just be education is something that we protect."

Last week, Ige said that the current school year calendar "has been dramatically impacted by COVID-19, so their furlough reduction will be less than the rest of state government."

"We are aware of the impact on instructional dates, and we want to make sure that the students can get enough instructional time to be promoted to the next grade level," he said.

When asked if he had the authority to unilaterally declare furloughs, Ige told reporters, "Certainly we'll be working with the unions to implement the furloughs in the best way possible.

"We are looking at the legal requirements and we do believe that I do have the authority to implement them," he said.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.