HONOLULU - Lois Yamauchi and Liam Skilling of Save Our Schools, and Jo Curran, of Hawaii Education Matters, answer questions about whether the union (HSTA), state Board of Education and/or Gov. Lingle will accept their $55 million plan to end public school furloughs in Hawai'i from now until spring 2011.  Other questions concern whether so-called "non-essential workers" in the schools will be employed during the furlough days avoided, and also the importance of ending furloughs now, instead of continuing the furloughs until next year, as the Governor proposes.

The plan would use funds from the Hurricane Relief Funds, and other state sources to eliminate nine furlough days, at a cost of $55 million.  In addition, teachers would teach on six of what had been planning days, as they had agreed to do with the BOE.  The plan costs about $7 million less than what Gov. Lingle has already offered to accept.

State Capitol, Honolulu, HI (16 Apr. 2010, 12:30 p.m. Hawai'i Std. Time)