School Furloughs
From Lingle2012 Fact v Myth
The fact is no Hawaii governor can unilaterally furlough teachers or any Department of Education (DOE) employee since they are under the Board of Education’s (BOE) jurisdiction.1
The BOE agreed to furloughs as part of the labor contract with the Hawaii State Teachers’ Association (HSTA).2 The Governor gave her support with the explicit understanding that furloughs would take place on non-instructional days.3
The Governor was therefore extremely surprised and disappointed when the BOE and HSTA chose instructional days as furlough days while leaving holidays and teacher planning days untouched.4 She was told by the DOE Superintendent and members of the Board on a couple of occasions that furloughs would be on non-instructional days so students would not lose classroom time.5
Furloughs did avoid employee layoffs and teacher terminations, and avoided increasing class sizes.6 Finally, furloughs were revived under the Abercrombie Administration, but under the pseudonym: “DLWOP” or “directed leave without pay.”7
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1Hawaii School Furloughs, Loren Moreno, Honolulu Advertiser. Available at The Maui News, (http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/524579/HAWAII-SCHOOL-FURLOUGHS.html) (“Lingle does not have the power to furlough or lay off workers at the state Department of Education and University of Hawaii, which are governed by independent boards.).
2Furlough Timeline, Honolulu Advertiser (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/May/26/ln/hawaii5260347.html).
3Sunrise Interview, Hawaii News Now (February 13, 2012) (http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/16925178/linda-lingle-gets-endorsement-from-hfd-retirees) (“with the furloughs, I wish I had not taken the word of the BOE that they would implement a furlough on non-instructional days. And that was a promise they made to me, and so I went along with them. And when it came out that the schedule was on instructional days, my entire administration was shocked by that. I would not have believed them based on what ended up happening. So when I look back, I think it was a mistake to take their word at that time.”).
4Hawaii teacher furloughs will cut class time, not preparation days, Christie Wilson, Honolulu Advertiser (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Sep/25/ln/hawaii909250361.html) (“In scheduling 17 furlough days that will shut down Hawai’i's public schools, the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association agreed not to use any of the six available waiver and professional development days to offset the loss of instructional time or relieve parents of child-care worries.”).
5Sunrise Interview, Hawaii News Now (February 13, 2012) (http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/16925178/linda-lingle-gets-endorsement-from-hfd-retirees) (“with the furloughs, I wish I had not taken the word of the BOE that they would implement a furlough on non-instructional days. And that was a promise they made to me, and so I went along with them. And when it came out that the schedule was on instructional days, my entire administration was shocked by that. I would not have believed them based on what ended up happening. So when I look back, I think it was a mistake to take their word at that time.”).
6Hawaii teachers originally chose furloughs to avert pay cuts, Derrick DePledge, Honolulu Advertiser (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/May/26/ln/hawaii5260348.html) (“The Hawaii State Teachers Association preferred furloughs to straight pay cuts or layoffs.”).
7The Truth About Hawaii’s Teacher Planning Days, Katherine Polythress, Honolulu Civil Beat (http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/07/28/12283-the-truth-about-hawaiis-teacher-planning-days/) (“a condition of the [Abercrombie Administration’s] contract imposed on them by the state . . . Thursday and Friday are the first two days of ‘directed leave without pay’ – in other words furloughs – for the coming school year.”).