Furlough Days Hurting Hawaii Educational System More Than Ever
Important Notice: Our web hosting provider recently started charging us for additional visits, which was unexpected. In response, we're seeking donations. Depending on the situation, we may explore different monetization options for our Community and Expert Contributors. It's crucial to provide more returns for their expertise and offer more Expert Validated Answers or AI Validated Answers. Learn more about our hosting issue here.
Furlough Days Hurting Hawaii Educational System More Than Ever
On March 29th, 2010 the Feds picked two states – Delaware and Tennessee, and gave them a total combined $600 million in education grants. The shocker is not that these states got the money; it is that both of these states are rated higher in education than Hawaii is.
This continues an already severe downward spiral that the passing of furlough days in Hawaii has created. At first parents had to figure out creative ways to keep there children busy at home. Parents have lost jobs, taken pay-cuts and even had to spend more money to find suitable help with their children on furlough days.
Federal officials are hoping to send a huge message with this. Hawaii needs to either revamp and/or redo their education laws. Not only that, they need to get the union and teachers to sign off.
The sole reason Hawaii has lost out on any education grant is due to furlough days. The government has told the state that they will get money when they do things the right way. I am pretty sure furlough days was not the way to do things right.
The problem remains though… What could the Hawaii DOE do with a few hundred million? The answer should be – A LOT! This however is probably not true. We have witnessed for years funds being misappropriated by the Hawaii DOE. After a federal audit was done a few years back, it was found that the DOE had close to 44 million just lying around doing nothing. How is this even possible?
Change has to start at the top. The problem is – among other problems, is that “the top” in Hawaii is the Teacher’s Union. The Teacher’s Union in Hawaii has way too much power. Many of us want to blame Gov. Lingle – and she has made mistakes, but realize this… Anything the Gov. has put through – including furloughs, had to be signed off by the Teacher’s Union.
Furloughs continue to hamper our educational system. No end seems to be in sight. It is imperative that we get our teachers – and the union on the same page with parents.