RESPONSE TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS HAWAI‘I NEWS RELEASE
HONOLULU – The following statement by Linda Smith, senior policy advisor, is in response to a news release issued today by Save Our Schools that contains misleading and inaccurate information.
“The statement by Save Our Schools that 'All that is required now is for the governor to approve (an emergency appropriation),' is not true.
“While the Legislature may be exploring various funding mechanisms to address the furlough situation, at this point, no funds have been appropriated by the Legislature, therefore the Governor cannot approve or release any funds.
“At the same time, there can be no resolution to the furloughs without the agreement of the Governor, Board of Education and Department of Education as the employer group and the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association.
“Since November 15, Governor Lingle has made three fair and generous offers. Governor Lingle continues to actively work to address the furlough situation, recognizing that a solution must involve the BOE and the DOE, as well as HSTA leadership in reaching an agreement. The Governor’s staff also met recently with legislators on a new proposal. Further, we recognize that any proposal to end furloughs should be voted on by the teachers themselves.
"We encourage concerned parents to talk to teachers and members of the HSTA leadership to urge them to allow children to return to campus on non-instructional days. These are days when the teachers are in school and being paid, but children are not in class. Turning non-instructional days into classroom days would move us closer to a final resolution of this situation."
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