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Gov. Linda Lingle pitched her latest furlough plan in a statement on Fridays, Jan. 8, revealing she didn’t like the “version school leaders came up with,” so she unvealed her own plan to reduce the number of teacher furlough days.

The governor remains determined to use $50 million of the “Rainy Day Fund” to restore 24 days over the next 18 months. This plan intends to restore 12 Furlough Fridays to school days, as well as 12 additional days by converting 12 teacher planning days.

School leaders previously rejected turning several noninstructional days into classroom days.

“The teachers, the unions need to recognize there is a window, and it’s shutting a little bit each day as we lead up to the the session because there are other people who have an eye on those moneys as well,” said Gov. Lingle.

The Legislative Session opens on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and state education leaders are reviewing the plan before they present the details to the teachers’ union.

While the leaders battle it out, the keiki in our state’s public schools continue with a system that provides them the least number of school days in the nation—163, compared to 180 in most U.S. districts. Hawai‘i keiki are behind in standardized test scores, and our educational system ranks near the very bottom on the nation level.

And, with kids out of school for an increased number of days, workload has increased—and workforce has decreased—at safe havens such child protective services and youth centers.

As Hawai‘i’s educational system continues to disappoint our keiki and the community, a Maui Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and some passionate community members have come together with their own resolution.

Kihei Elementary PTA President Bridget Bunting, a South Maui mother of four schoolchildren, expounded upon an idea from Maui resident Marc Hodges, a retired police officer.

“There was too much complaining and not enough doing,” said Bunting. “In order to make a difference, we need to show our children how important their education is and turn our frustration into action.”

Kihei Community Keiki Club (KCKC) is an all-volunteer, community-based, free program for elementary school children of Kihei that was founded and initially endorsed by the Kihei Elementary PTA last November.

“Thanks to the PTA members and the Kihei Elementary School Principal Alvin Shima, KCKC is a way that the community can put our children first, and needs volunteers to remain the success that it is,” said Bunting.

Core volunteer coordinators include Bunting, Mary Bevill, Patti Domingo and Netra Halperin.

Their mission strives to “provide enrichment to the keiki of Kihei through music, art, drama, science, history and physical activities.” The innovative program is based on the principle that children learn better by doing and applying their knowledge to real-life circumstances.

KCKC operates similar to a normal school day, beginning at 8:05 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. each Furlough Friday at Kihei Elementary School.

“It’s a great program Bridget has put together and a good example of people taking the initiative to deal with a perplexing problem,” stated volunteer photographer Michael G. Barraque in a recent email.

Bunting stressed that KCKC is not a childcare provider nor a substitute for the teaching provided at our schools, but yet an effort to alleviate the stresses of the “centralized and top-heavy DOE [Department of Education].”

“The DOE needs to cut spending in the top-heavy administration—not the teachers and our children’s instructional time,” Bunting said.

Bunting said all the kids seem to enjoy themselves and are engaged in the educational activities on their day off from regularly scheduled classes. “I just hope we can make a difference for the kids,” she said. “Perhaps with our lead, others will follow.”

Kids will be supervised during a planned course of activities that include physical education, music, art and drama, with creative companies such as Ebb & Flow Arts offering their assistance.

There are also specialized speakers who address important issues that affect kids during a school day. Topics such as feelings, bullying and non-violent conflict resolution have been covered in previous sessions.

Students will miss 10 more furlough days during this school year, with the next one occurring Jan. 15, followed by another on Jan. 29.

“Our children come first,” said Bunting. “Get our children back in school now, and work on fixing the system.”

The KCKC program relies on volunteers. Parents, teachers and concerned residents who wish to invest their knowledge, talents and experience in Maui’s future—our keiki—are asked to visit www.wecandoithawaii.org .

Contact Bunting via kiheipta@aol.com for more information.

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