Following several hours of negotiations between state officials and the teachers union, Gov. Linda Lingle's senior policy adviser Linda Smith said the Lingle administration acknowledges the need for teachers to have planning time.

Lingle had originally called for teachers to forgo planning days to reduce some of the furlough days adopted this year to save money.
Smith said the negotiators are now working on a way to accommodate teacher planning time while restoring all the furlough days starting in January.
The negotiations have ended for the day and will resume tomorrow morning at 8:30 at the Department of Human Resources.
Earlier today about a dozen parents with Hawaii Education Matters gathered outside of the Hawaii State Teachers Association headquarters as state officials arrived for the negotiations with the teachers union.
Parents said they are concerned that there has been no agreement between the union and the governor over a plan to restore 27 furlough days this year and next year.
The state teachers union and Lingle have been in disagreement over her proposal that asks public school teachers to give up their planning days to eliminate a portion of 34 furlough days in the recently ratified two-year contract. The union argues those days are needed to maintain quality in the state school system.
Marguerite Butler-Higa, whose daughter attends Noelani Elementary School, was one of a couple of parents to question Smith as she entered the HSTA headquarters this morning. Butler-Higa told Smith that she was concerned that the governor appears unwilling to compromise on teachers giving up planning days.
Smith told the parents that she believed the governor has been “generous in our proposal.”
“She wouldn’t have looked at that $50 million if (education) weren’t a priority,” Smith said.
The parents contend that the teachers shouldn’t be expected to give up all of their planning days. Hawaii Education Matters had submitted its own plan to the governor, the superintendent, the state Board of Education and the union which proposed that teachers give up seven of their planning days and lengthen their time in the classroom on Wednesdays.
“There needs to be some give and take so that everyone’s needs are met,” Butler-Higa said. “I know teachers are willing to give up a lot, but they can’t be expected to give up all of their planning days.”
Negotiations are scheduled until 1 p.m. today, and may resume tomorrow if an agreement is not reached.
Meanwhile, the state Board of Education Committee on Budget and Fiscal Accountability will meet today at 3 p.m. to “consider options” for the Department of Education to fund 27 school days.
Board Chairman Garrett Toguchi, in a news release, said the $50 million will not cover all payroll and operating expenses to open schools 27 days.
“The board must review the budget and consider every possibility to bring students back to the classroom as soon as possible while also ensuring that they receive adequate services in a safe environment."