The teachers union and Gov. Linda Lingle's administration appeared to be moving closer to a compromise, with the governor's senior policy adviser Linda Smith — after a day of negotiations — suggesting teachers may not be asked to give up all of their planning days.

Lingle has proposed taking $50 million from the state's rainy day fund and has asked teachers to swap planning days for furlough days to eliminate 27 of 34 furlough days in the teachers' two-year contract with the state.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association and state negotiators, including state schools superintendent Patricia Hamamoto and two members from the Board of Education, met yesterday to reconvene negotiations over the governor's proposal.

Meanwhile, members of the state Board of Education were told in a committee meeting yesterday that the $50 million from the state's rainy day fund was at least $19 million short of what it would cost to reopen schools on the 27 furlough days. That's after the salaries of essential school workers and other operating costs are accounted for.

"The amount from the rainy day fund is only for salaries," said James Brese, chief financial officer for the DOE. "We couldn't use it for any of the operational costs we would incur. We would have to pick up the operational costs."

The costs also account for planning days converting to instructional days. Because those days originally were without students, Brese said the DOE would have to factor in the costs of meals, transportation and other services for those days.

Brese told board members that several options to deal with the shortfall are under consideration, including further reduction of school programs and even layoffs.

One scenario includes layoff notices getting sent out in January to 1,500 to 2,500 full-time employees. That scenario would result in salary savings of some $18 million, Brese estimated.

"There is no easy way to get to the amounts that we need to get to," he told Board of Education members.

PROGRESS NOTED

Wil Okabe, president of the HSTA, called yesterday's negotiating session with the administration "productive."

"We are hopeful that our ideas are being carefully considered, and we look forward to further discussions (today)," Okabe said.

And the Lingle administration appeared to be backing away from its hard-line position that teachers give up their planning days.

"We are looking at ways in which we can recognize together that teachers need some time to prepare for class. We're making some accommodations there," Smith said.

Smith was not specific on how many noninstructional days teachers would be asked to give up. Currently, teachers receive a total of 10 planning days a year, which are broken down among waiver days, planning and collaboration days and teacher workdays.

"We do know that teachers need some time to plan, and we believe we can do that and still restore all of the furlough days that we need to restore," Smith said.

In response to the statement from Smith, Okabe added, "Hawai'i's teachers will be glad to know the governor understands the need for planning days."

Okabe has said the teachers union would not reopen the base contract, which contains the planning days, a statement that raised doubt about whether planning days can be part of a deal. The furlough days are contained in a supplemental agreement between the state and the union, which can be amended by written consent of the parties without another ratification vote.

Okabe was unwilling yesterday to discuss whether the union's position on reopening the base contract had changed as a result of the talks.

Negotiations are expected to resume today at 8:30 a.m. at the Department of Human Resources Development buil-ding on South Beretania Street.

'SOME GIVE AND TAKE'

Earlier yesterday, about a dozen parents with Hawaii Education Matters gathered outside HSTA headquarters as state officials arrived for the negotiations with the teachers union.

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 yesterday 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.

"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."