09-26-2009, 02:01 PM
Teacher Furloughs Not Written in Stone
The two year contract ratified by 81 percent of Hawaii’s public school teachers on Tuesday could be amended to eliminate furloughs, according to Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto.
“Should there be an infusion of cash or our economy starts to look better there's always the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) process or the amendment process we could take a look at,” Hamamoto told Khon2 one day after the ratification vote. The amendment process would involve the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Department of Education.
Hamamoto said she would be asking lawmakers to come up with additional revenue in order to drop some or all furlough days.
“We will be lobbying the legislature for funds so that we can add more school days back to the school calendar,” said the public schools chief.
Under the new two year contract teachers who work a ten month schedule will be furloughed a total of 17 days. Those who work year round are mandated to take 21 furlough days. The furloughs, which fall on Fridays, amount to a 7.9 percent pay cut for the state’s more than 13,000 teachers.
Sen. Norman Sakamoto, the chair of the Education Committee plans to reintroduce legislation that calls for a one percent increase to the state’s general excise tax. Sakamoto likened teacher furloughs to a destructive house fire.
“Whether it's that bill or similar bills I'm sure they'll be different vehicles to say how can we help rescue or how can we repair the part of the house that's burnt.”
Sakamoto’s bill to raise the GET exempted food, medical care and a portion of rent but failed to gain enough votes when it crossed over to the House. He says part of the reason it failed is a lack of public support.
“It needs to be a community effort,” said Sakamoto, “not a legislative effort.”
A one percent hike in the general excise tax usually translates into $500 million a year in added tax revenues for the state.
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The rest of the article can be found here....
http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Te...aDm8w.cspx
The two year contract ratified by 81 percent of Hawaii’s public school teachers on Tuesday could be amended to eliminate furloughs, according to Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto.
“Should there be an infusion of cash or our economy starts to look better there's always the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) process or the amendment process we could take a look at,” Hamamoto told Khon2 one day after the ratification vote. The amendment process would involve the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Department of Education.
Hamamoto said she would be asking lawmakers to come up with additional revenue in order to drop some or all furlough days.
“We will be lobbying the legislature for funds so that we can add more school days back to the school calendar,” said the public schools chief.
Under the new two year contract teachers who work a ten month schedule will be furloughed a total of 17 days. Those who work year round are mandated to take 21 furlough days. The furloughs, which fall on Fridays, amount to a 7.9 percent pay cut for the state’s more than 13,000 teachers.
Sen. Norman Sakamoto, the chair of the Education Committee plans to reintroduce legislation that calls for a one percent increase to the state’s general excise tax. Sakamoto likened teacher furloughs to a destructive house fire.
“Whether it's that bill or similar bills I'm sure they'll be different vehicles to say how can we help rescue or how can we repair the part of the house that's burnt.”
Sakamoto’s bill to raise the GET exempted food, medical care and a portion of rent but failed to gain enough votes when it crossed over to the House. He says part of the reason it failed is a lack of public support.
“It needs to be a community effort,” said Sakamoto, “not a legislative effort.”
A one percent hike in the general excise tax usually translates into $500 million a year in added tax revenues for the state.
~~~~~~~~
The rest of the article can be found here....
http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Te...aDm8w.cspx