LIHU‘E — Parents are bewildered and wondering not only what to do with their children the 17 Fridays public schools will be closed under the new state teacher contract, but also about the impact of less classroom time on students.
LIHU‘E — Parents are bewildered and wondering not only what to do with their children the 17 Fridays public schools will be closed under the new state teacher contract, but also about the impact of less classroom time on students.
Others are worried how public-school teachers will survive on a high-cost island after agreeing Tuesday evening to take nearly 8-percent pay cuts.
Bill Arakaki, state Department of Education Kaua‘i complex area superintendent, said he is concerned about all those issues too — as an administrator, as a DOE employee also facing unpaid weekdays off, and as a parent of a public-school student, he said.
“It’s going to be really difficult,” figuring out family finances, child care if he and his wife have to work on their daughter’s closed-school weekdays, and as an administrator how to ensure content, standards and benchmarks are met with much less classroom time for students.
“It’s going to be a tough situation,” Arakaki said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Elena Perreira, who has a son at Kapa‘a Elementary School and another child at Kapa‘a Middle School, said she worries about her children and other students falling behind in studies as a result of less classroom instruction time.
“Education is very important to me,” said Perreira, asking if school days are going to be lengthened because of the furloughs (maybe), and whether or not people are going to be able to bear the expense of tutoring or other services to make up for the lost classroom time (probably not).
Students in public schools have low test scores already, she said. What happens if students miss even more school? Perreira asked.
“They’re going to fall behind,” she said. “Bummer.”
As far as child care is concerned, Perreira said her current schedule at Cost-U-Less has her off Friday and Saturday, so Friday furlough days shouldn’t be a problem, except when her schedule fluctuates.
“I guess I’ll have to leave it up to grandma,” or her eldest daughter might have to be called on to babysit, she said.
Arakaki talked about “anxieties” and questions whether the A+ after-school program will be offered on furlough days (no), and what happens to student activities, tutoring and athletic programs on furlough days (uncertain at present).
Arakaki, deputy superintendents, complex superintendents and others must take unpaid days off too.
“This is something that never happened before. We’ll have to work together to try to meet the needs of families and students,” he said.
State public schools need to make $468 million in cuts over the current and 2010-11 school year. The new Hawai‘i State Teachers Association contract will address a portion of the state’s budget shortfall, Arakaki said Wednesday in a press release.
“Furloughs are difficult and will require us all to work together as a community to provide alternative learning opportunities and experiences for our students,” he said in the release.
Each individual school principal has autonomy to reschedule or cancel waiver and professional-development days, some of which are scheduled to fall on some of the furlough Fridays already scheduled before the end of the current school year in late May or early June 2010, Arakakai said in the interview.
Debra Badua, principal of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Puhi, said parents are concerned about the loss of instructional days and child care.
“It puts a burden on families,” she said.
Badua said she met with teachers at the school for about an hour Wednesday to discuss how students will get instruction necessary to meet benchmarks with less classroom time.
“Many of them (teachers) will have to take second jobs to make ends meet, and they are also very concerned about their students, too,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday.
The state DOE Web site, doe.k12.hi.us, has the most updated information on changing school calendars and other items, and includes a telephone number to call for more information. That number may be called toll-free from Kaua‘i, 274-3141, then dialing 6-3230# after receiving the recorded prompt.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
