The state Board of Education last night voted unanimously to defer a decision on the proposed closure of five Hawai'i libraries to allow State Librarian Richard Burns and his staff time to propose a budget-reduction plan that would not include library closures.

The state Public Library System proposed the closures as part of an overall plan to help reduce $5.7 million from its budget this year in accordance with restrictions imposed by Gov. Linda Lingle.

Other aspects of the budget-cutting plan, including a hiring freeze on 67 vacant positions and a cut in personnel expenses — to be negotiated with the unions — were approved.

"I'm happy for now," said Jerry Goff, manager of the 'Ewa Beach library. "But it's not the end."

Coby Lynn, 48, of 'Ewa Beach, joined a handful of protesters outside the BOE office before the meeting. He said he is hopeful that some of the solutions debated last night might help the board avoid another vote on closures.

"If we can indeed dip into the hurricane relief fund, that would be a lot of money right there," he said. "There are a lot of other avenues that can be explored before we have to get to closures."

The proposed closures would have shuttered three libraries on the Big Island — Holualoa Public Library, Pahala Public/School Library, and Kealakekua Public Library — as well as 'Ewa Beach Public/School Library on O'ahu and Hana Public/School Library on Maui by the end of the year.

While the decision leaves open the possibility of library closures should the alternative plan prove untenable, the temporary reprieve drew applause from more than two dozen members of the public, many from 'Ewa Beach, who attended the meeting.

Earlier motions to exclude Hana Library and the three Big Island libraries failed to gain the necessary seven votes for approval.

Board member Mary Cochran, who earlier vowed that Hana Library would only be closed "over (her) dead body," proposed to exclude the three school-community libraries: Hana, 'Ewa Beach and Pahala.

The board approved the motion, with only John Penebacker opposing.

First Vice Chairwoman Karen Knudsen then proposed to approve the hiring freeze and personnel cost reductions, exclude the remaining two libraries from closure and allow Burns to come up with an alternative plan that did not include closures.

Penebacker moved to amend the motion by also including a request to Lingle to reconsider the budget restrictions imposed on the library system.

The amended motion passed unanimously.

"(Burns) just didn't have time to look at all the alternatives," Knudsen said, referring to the two weeks Burns and his staff had to come up with their original proposal. "This will give him more time to look at the whole picture."

In his recommendation to the board, Burns said the closures were a "fact-based, data-driven decision" based on staff vacancies, low circulation and usage, geographical proximity to neighboring libraries, repair and maintenance costs, rising operating expenses and other factors.

The bulk of the savings is expected to come from the hiring freeze ($2.2 million for 67 positions) and the personnel reduction ($.3 million). The closures account for an estimated $105,200 in savings, but HSPLS administrative services director Keith Fujio said actual savings could amount to $800,000, factoring indirect cost savings from reduced delivery, postage, employee support, shared resources, and other expenses.