(life) Furlough Friday Fiasco

[Jada Rufo]

I found out today on our local NPR station that our Govenor Linda Lingle is traveling to Asia, including China, to promote Hawaii tourism.  She is expected to meet with Chinese tourism officials in Beijing and go on to Shanghai, Sanya, Haikou, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

While I would like to see more Chinese from the PRC visit Hawaii I don't think it was the right thing to do given our budget crisis here.  

She should have stayed home.

One of the issues that the governor should have taken care of before leaving is this crazy idea of instigating a four day school week for Hawaii's students and teachers.  Called "Furlough Fridays" its purpose is to save money to increase the state's budget.

We have become the butt of all educational jokes.  Students here already score the lowest scores on national tests.  This "Furlough Friday" just exacerbates the problem and presents us as being embiciles.

Maybe they are right.  Two Fridays ago, on our first furlough, I saw some teenage boys skateboarding on the highway near the entrance of a subdivision during school hours.

I keep saying to myself that if Chinese schools had such a problem with their provincial budget shortfalls that school officials would NEVER cut school days to beef up the provinces coffers.  They'd probably cut teacher's wages but NEVER have furloughs.

I also keep thinking to myself that in China, missed school days because of holidays like National Day and International Labor Day, would eventually be made up usually on Saturdays or Sundays.  My former students would be screaming for an extra holiday but my former employers would be laughing at their counterparts in Hawaii.

I also wonder if any other states have had to take such drastic measures to their educational system.

For more information about what I call "Furlough Friday Fiasco" you can check out the following links:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g082ZQ-GSp4oHSwKghU8aLdTgx5QD9BKR9O02
http://www.kitv.com/news/21486721/detail.html
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/hawaii-day-school-week-ease-recession-woes/story?id=8894574
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114330842&ft=1&f=1003

Jada Rufo