Why the furloughs? - Hawaii News

By July it had become clear to all sides -- the public worker unions, the counties and the state -- that worker furloughs would be the tool to solve Hawaii's labor stalemate.

[Shosei]

I remember public consensus was in favor of Governor Lingle's furlough plan. Now that everyone is feeling and seeing the consequences of no school, everyone is crying foul. Even the Governor is back tracking. But everything Lingle wanted she got. And she is now back tracking big time in light of all the public outcry.

Wil Okabe, the HSTA's president, rightfully blast Lingle and calls her out: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/200...

Unfortunately finger-pointing is becoming common practice for Lingle. And her list of gaffs are getting longer too. The Super Ferry and the Teacher Furlough stand out the most and looms the largest of all her blunders.

[john w bienko]

The Furlough Decision is NOT WISE. The formative years in a child's development are vital to the future. Prudent negotiations are in order. It is apparent there are extensive INEFFICIENCIES in the operations of the state. The savings could be diverted to the school system. There may also be opportunities for savings within the school administration. The future of the next generation is being imperiled.

[zat]

So now the children won't be any brighter that their parents. What else is new?

[Poi]

Why?

Because the greedy Unions refuse to take a pay cut.

A simple across the board paycut for management and worker would solve any budget deficit overnight without cutting services.

If all of Hawaii is too stupid to see that, then education is needed in the adult population, not the kids.

[mo_waste]

here is today's lesson for the furloughed children:

unions + government = failure

america - government - unions = sanity

our country is an embarrassment.

seriously, the whole world is watching what we do. we have enough money for bad debt, wars and welfare but we can't agree that keeping kids in school is our first priority? is it 2012 yet? just watching the skies for that meteor that will wipe this slate clean...

[Mike Hu]

Let's not confuse the issue.

The reasonable expectation was that the teachers would choose non-instructional days as their furlough days -- rather than cutback on instructional days -- which is the whole meaning and purpose of their jobs, of which government union workers have lost all sense of.

So now they are essentially eliminating the purpose for which those jobs were created for -- which is the instruction of the children -- and NOT just to create permanent, high-paying jobs for themselves, regardless of whether they actually do the job for which these jobs were created in the first place.

That's the problem with all the union jobs eventually; we end up paying more for people NOT to do the jobs and so there is less money available for those who ACTUALLY do the work, until finally, they end up cutting out the program (for the keikis), to fund full benefits and retirement for those who have long stopped doing the job.

Of course it is an unsustainable course, direction and future.

[mo_waste]

“Of course it is an unsustainable course, direction and future.”

just like this country! well said mike!

[Da kine]

Hui!!!! eh you da kine Toguchi boy what is da you can not tell..........your pants are on fire "Big Boo"They say dea in no money to take care dos special kids,education first da is the first thing dis dirty rats mention on their political slogans.Don't let dis dirty rats to be in office any longer and,open your eyes Hawaii to the mess dis monkeys drop on you.Excuses,and more excuses from their dirty mouths!!!!make a stand for our kids Hawaii they do nor deserve da trash.

[Da kine]

Toguchi boy just tell the people da voted for your stinky okole to be in office and,get good pay,free parking,meals,pay on da side,too the "why you can't tell" dis mean only one thing no trust on you dirty rats politicans".Pilao ovedea.Is dis what you want to smell Hawaii??----->wake up to the facts and see da corruction coming toward you,wake up!!!!!

[Get it right]

Poi wrote:

Why?
Because the greedy Unions refuse to take a pay cut.
A simple across the board paycut for management and worker would solve any budget deficit overnight without cutting services.
If all of Hawaii is too stupid to see that, then education is needed in the adult population, not the kids.

The unions ARE taking a pay cut you inbred nincompoop! They are not getting paid for the furlough days and they are seeing their monthly salaries reduced by up to 10%!

[Poi]

Get it right wrote:

<quoted text>
The unions ARE taking a pay cut you inbred nincompoop! They are not getting paid for the furlough days and they are seeing their monthly salaries reduced by up to 10%!

Genius? Did you go to Public school?

THAT IS NOT A PAY CUT.

That is an increase in unpaid vacation days.

Get it????

A PAY CUT is when you get less pay for the SAME work. That is a pay cut.

Teachers are already starting at nearly 70,000 per year if you base on hourly pay of a normal 50 week, 8 hour day.

Cutting days for teachers was stupid. They should have cut the pay of ALL state workers, including management and including politicians and their staff, by a single percentage which would balance the budget.

You don't know what a real pay cut is because you have your Union entitlement mentality "bred" into your greedy union mindset.

[OnceHITeacher now Princ]

Now is the perfect time for Public Education in Hawaii to come up to mainland education. The one thing that stood out between Hawaii and Texas? Parental support and involvement in student eduation.
Get involved parents, stop expecting the teachers to raise your kids. Subscribe to an online learning site like "Study Island" and take those fridays and turn them into project days. Be rigorous in your expectations. Teach you children about your world, the world, get involved and lead by example.
It doesn't take a teaching degree to teach.
Seize the day, seize this opportunity.

[realmerv]

Poi wrote:

<quoted text>
Genius? Did you go to Public school?
THAT IS NOT A PAY CUT.
That is an increase in unpaid vacation days.
Get it????
A PAY CUT is when you get less pay for the SAME work. That is a pay cut.
Teachers are already starting at nearly 70,000 per year if you base on hourly pay of a normal 50 week, 8 hour day.
Cutting days for teachers was stupid. They should have cut the pay of ALL state workers, including management and including politicians and their staff, by a single percentage which would balance the budget.
You don't know what a real pay cut is because you have your Union entitlement mentality "bred" into your greedy union mindset.

The furloughs should be called unpaid leave of absence which it really is. But for people who don't understand, they call it a pay cut.

The same people who go on sick leave probably call going on sick leave going on vacation.

[Poi is an idiot]

Starting pay is around $36k a year and a normal teacher puts in 2000 hours in a school year. An elementary teacher puts in much more time than that.
The last thing this profession needs is an idiot that blows hot air without knowing what they are talking about.

[Poi]

Many teachers are absolute angels.

But the loud ones are the biggest scammers.

They cry "for the children" till they turn blue but really they mean "for my paycheck".

They say the are taking a "pay cut" when in fact they are receiving the exact same hourly and daily pay.

They say they "work" thousands of hours when in fact they only need to work 7 hours per day, 180 hours per year.

[Poi]

Poi is an idiot wrote:

Starting pay is around $36k a year and a normal teacher puts in 2000 hours in a school year. An elementary teacher puts in much more time than that.
The last thing this profession needs is an idiot that blows hot air without knowing what they are talking about.

Lets have a math lesson.

36,000/180 days per year = 200/day.

200/day for a 7 hour day = 28.57 per hour.

28.57 per hour for 50 weeks (250 days) at 8 hour per day is;

28.57 x 250 x 8 = 57,140 starting annual salary.

**********

Average pay of all teachers is 49,292 for a part time job.

The equates to 78,242 if it were a real 250 day full time job.

**********

Who's the idiot?

[makanuiblues]

1. A lot of people say why didn't you take away the teacher's vacation. Teacher's do not get paid for summer vacation. Some of their pay is set aside from each pay check so they don't starve during the summer

2. Please take away all those meetings where I could be teaching instead of making charts of student progress.

3. My child's school (a charter school) only has 5 furlough days instead of 17. They looked for private funding through grants, to minimize days off.

4. Layoffs - bringing larger class sizes would destroy any chance of TEACHING in the classroom. In large classes you just end up managing behavior and student needs instead of teaching conent

5. Parent Volunteers help us so much. Get involved in a positive way!

[makanuiblues]

Poi
**********
Who's the idiot?

Obviously doesn't know what he's talking about
ignore him - he just wants to "hear himself talk"
If he had facts and solutions instead of grumbles and complaints
that would be something to read.

[Poi]

makanuiblues wrote:

1. A lot of people say why didn't you take away the teacher's vacation. Teacher's do not get paid for summer vacation. Some of their pay is set aside from each pay check so they don't starve during the summer

Most teachers are not so pathetic that they would "starve" just because they are on vacation.

Lots of people have part time jobs like teachers do and they either enjoy their vacation time off or they get another job.

Why are you entitled to more money simply because you benefit from massive amounts of vacation per year.

Talk about the world upside down.

[that aint poi]

Poi wrote:

the loud ones are the biggest scammers.
They cry "for the children" till they turn blue but really they mean "for my paycheck".
They say the are taking a "pay cut" when in fact they are receiving the exact same hourly and daily pay.
They say they "work" thousands of hours when in fact they only need to work 7 hours per day, 180 hours per year.

And how would you know that???? Are you stalking some teachers, watching their every move? Again you're your info out of your a.s.s. You're full of c.r.a.p. and you know it!