The state Board of Education tonight voted to extend the summer vacation for public school students by two weeks.

Under the plan, the change from a seven- to a nine-week summer break means shorter winter and spring breaks, however. Meeting last night on Kaua'i, the board voted to reduce the winter break from three to two weeks, and to cut the two-week spring break to one week, according to state Department of Education spokeswoman Sandy Goya.

The summer break had been as long as 10 weeks or more, but the board reduced that to seven weeks when it adopted a uniform school calendar that went into effect two years ago.

The move was aimed at helping parents whose children studied at different campuses, streamlining payroll, and preventing kids from forgetting their lessons during the summer.

But the shorter summer break led to the problem of finding enough teachers to volunteer for summer school.