Diane in Kailua: Why wasn't a straight pay cut considered rather than furloughs? The effect is essentially the same.

Dwight Takeno: Taking a straight pay cut would not save enough money to enable the DOE to make up the 14 percent shortfall in the education budget. Only part of the savings comes from cutting teacher pay by 8 percent.

Gov. Linda Lingle's 14 percent budget cut equated to 36 furlough days a year. Thus, to reduce the 36 days to 17, the DOE needed implement other operational savings. Otherwise, we would have faced 36 furlough days per year.

On an instructional day, around 200,000 students, teachers and staff use the state's 256 schools. It costs a lot of money to provide utilities and other services for all of these people. And a large chunk of cost savings comes from not operating the schools for an entire instructional day to avoid the costs of water and electricity for lighting, computers, air conditioners and other devices, along with food, cafeteria services and a variety of supplies.

If schools closed only on days when no one was using them, the DOE would not be able to save enough to make up for the money the governor cut.

Lee McIntosh: If the DOE doesn't have the ability to know exactly how much money the current solution will save, how was 17 days chosen? Wasn't this a concern at all during negotiations?

Dwight Takeno: Each instructional day schools are closed saves about $5 million. This was a concern in negotiations and we were able to cut it down from 36 furlough days to 17, because of the operational savings of closing down schools.

Kaneohe Ray: Why do you say you want share the burden, but then immediately ask the Legislature to let you off the hook?

Dwight Takeno: We are not asking the Legislature to let us off the hook. We have always taken the position that the state should not be cutting education. We have always wanted to contribute our fair share to assist in this budgetary shortfall, but we cannot be expected to bear an unfair burden.

Hawaii_Mom: Why don't teachers just go back and renegotiate the contract and get rid of all these furlough days?

Dwight Takeno: With the budgetary cuts imposed by the state's administration, there is not enough money to the run the system at status quo.

The furlough days involve more than the teachers. There are other essential education workers, including administrators, office staff, supervisors, custodians and cafeteria workers, as well as the social workers, occupational therapists and other professionals who care for special needs students. The schools cannot operate without them and their contracts were negotiated separately with the governor and her team.

Teachers are one of many professions required to operate schools safely and effectively. With the HGEA contract being recently settled, and exempt state employee furlough days being scheduled to coincide with furlough Fridays, the entire furlough plan for all state government would have to be revised.

In addition, there is still the issue of the cost savings realized by closing schools. If schools are not closed on instructional days, those savings must be made up elsewhere. Thus far, another solution has not been found to save the amount of money needed to keep our education system operating.

Tina: To make up for lost instructional time, is there any discussion about lengthening the school day, especially on the short Wednesdays?

Dwight Takeno: Yes, in the collective bargaining agreement, there is a process that allows teachers, parents, community members and students to take a vote at each school to restore some of this lost instructional time. That process is already under way at a number of schools.

Volcanogirl: Why didn't the state and HSTA put all the furlough days at the end of the year?

Dwight Takeno: When the state and HSTA negotiated the contract agreement, they had to consider everyone who would be affected. Many of nonteach-ing employees are hourly workers. If all of the furlough days came in the last month of the school year, those hourly employees would only receive a fraction of their normal pay for that month, which would create an extreme hardship.

If state workers do not meet a certain threshold of required hours per month, they do not receive ERS service credit (retirement benefits).

Kaneoheboy: Why not let the teachers who wish to work for free do so on furlough Fridays or weekends, etc.?

Dwight Takeno: Teachers already work for free — the average teacher puts in 15-plus hours a week that they are not compensated for in salary. They do this willingly because they care about their students. Asking them to add on even more time is not fair. Teachers have their own families to care for as well, and this 8 percent cut has placed a severe personal hardship on them and their families.

Lucille: Why didn't HSTA go to arbitration instead of signing a contract that called for furloughs?

Dwight Takeno: Unlike other bargaining units, state law does not permit HSTA to settle contract negotiations through arbitration unless both parties agree. The only option for HSTA would be to strike if a contract is not ratified and the state's final offer is rejected.

Under the current economic conditions, it is unlikely HSTA would get a better agreement or a contract without furloughs.

The strike alternative would likely cause more disruption than the furloughs. The last time HSTA went on strike, it lasted 21 days, and that was when the economy was strong, the state had much more money and unemployment was low. Teachers wanted our contract negotiations to be over so they could focus their attention on their students and return to their classrooms.

Political Polly: Is the HSTA pushing parents to go through their school community councils and move furlough days to non-instructional days?

Dwight Takeno: We encourage all parents to become heavily involved in their children's education. School community councils provide a democratic and open process to allow parental involvement in their children's education.

There is a provision in the contract that allows parents, community members, teachers and students to participate in discussions about on this issue. This process is already in motion.

Kawika: Does the HSTA oppose merit pay? If so, why? Should not those who produce the best results be paid accordingly?

Dwight Takeno: It's difficult to determine merit. If you use test scores, you place a higher burden on teachers who teach in economically disadvantaged schools and have students who need more attention and help than those who come from more affluent communities.

Secondly, we will force teachers to teach to the test, instead of teaching children how to think independently and to be resourceful. We want to teach to the whole child and not be confined to the narrow focus of No Child Left Behind.

Jim: What do you see as the major obstacles to improving the quality of public education in Hawaii? And, what can you and other HSTA members do to overcome that?

Dwight Takeno: Education should be a priority in our state and we need to fund it accordingly. We also need to support our teachers and the entire public school system.

Teachers and parents also need to work together more collaboratively to get our schools the resources and attention they need and deserve.

Caloha: Why weren't non-instructional days identified as furlough days? Seems that only instructional days were chosen as furlough days — making the kids the big losers. From my school days, I recall lots of teacher conference days and teacher professional development days. Why weren't some of those sacrificed instead of just the instructional days?

Dwight Takeno: The furlough days were dictated by the state's overall plan to furlough public employees on Fridays to make child care and other needs as convenient as possible. Not all of the 17 days are instructional. It depends on the school. Some schools have professional development and waiver days scheduled on furlough Fridays.

Again, by avoiding the cost of utilities, transportation services, food services, auxiliary services and other required support personnel, including cafeteria and custodial workers, the school saves millions of dollars each day, so that it can make up the budgetary deficit from the 14 percent cut that was imposed.

ConcernedCitizen: Do you support the plan to move the superintendent's position into the governor's Cabinet?

Dwight Takeno: This is (an) individual choice that should be made through a possible constitutional amendment. However, there needs to be transparency and accountability in the state's education system. Placing the superintendent in the governor's Cabinet may not necessarily achieve these objectives.