The closure of public schools yesterday — the first of 17 planned "furlough Fridays" — marked a new low for Hawaii's beleaguered public education system, according to hundreds of protesters gathered at the state Capitol.

The furlough days have left Hawaii with the shortest school calendar in the nation and drawn the ire of some parents, who have been left scrambling to secure child care or forced to take vacation days to stay home with children. Yesterday, hundreds of kids went to hastily set up furlough Friday day care programs across the state.

Others stayed home or converged on popular gathering spots such as Pearlridge Center, where families came for a special day of educational activities.

"We're grateful (for the event), but I'd rather have them in school learning from their teachers," said Mish Kukloc, who brought her sons — 7 and 5 years old — to Pearlridge.

At the state Capitol rally, many said the furlough days were a black eye for a state whose native son, President Obama, has called for a new emphasis on education, including longer school days. Obama, they added, is also something of a product of Hawaii public schools: He attended kindergarten at Noelani Elementary School in Mänoa.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has also raised concerns about the furlough plan, which has garnered national attention. In an opinion piece that ran in The Advertiser yesterday, Duncan said students will "lose out in the long run if they don't receive the education they need and deserve" and added that, "even in these difficult times, we have to invest in our children's education." The Duncan column was cited often at yesterday's rally.

Robert Perkinson, who attended the event and also helped organize a protest at Noelani Elementary School yesterday, said the Duncan column should be impetus enough for the state to scrap its school furlough plan. Cutting class time, he said, "can't be the best solution to solve the budget crisis."

During the protest, he added, "Noelani School has produced a president of the United States and with a four-day week, it is not going to produce another one."

The Capitol rally kicked off about 10 a.m. and included a performance by singer Jack Johnson.

Around 11 a.m., rally organizers sat down with Gov. Linda Lingle in a closed-door meeting, during which they presented her with a petition — signed by more than 4,000 people — calling for an end to the furlough plan. The meeting was not open to the press, but those who attended said Lingle was receptive to their concerns and open to suggestions.

"What we expressed is a feeling that nobody is advocating for children in this situation," said organizer Jennifer Moy.

Those who attended the rally said they understand the difficult financial situation the state is facing. But, they added, they can't support any plan that cuts school days.

Along Beretania Street yesterday, before the rally started, parents, kids and teachers held handmade signs that read, "Chop from the top" and "You are furloughing our future!" They got plenty of honks of support from passing cars.

Many attendees said they were frustrated and discouraged by the decision to save money by closing schools.

"This should have never been an option," said Carrie Rainey, whose son attends Kainalu Elementary School.

Parent Shawna Wilcox-Ho, of Kailua, attended the rally with her three sons, ages 5, 6 and 9.

"My boys will suffer because of this" furlough plan, she said.

LAWMAKERS' TAKE

Lawmakers also sounded off yesterday — with many saying that no one supports furloughing the state's 13,000 public school teachers, while adding that the state finds itself in unprecedented fiscal straits where there are no easy fixes.

In a statement, State House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Pälolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), also said that he did not support raiding the hurricane fund to decrease planned furlough days. He said using the fund would be "short-sighted." He added, "The use of the hurricane fund would not be a long-term solution."

Say also said, "The House will consider solutions to the school furlough issue during the upcoming regular session."

Other lawmakers added that a special session to tackle the furloughs is unlikely.

But some are pushing for just that. State Sen. Will Espero, D-20th (Ewa Beach, Waipahu), has collected 13 signatures from senators who want to return in special session to consider using the hurricane relief fund to restore classroom instruction.

"We are against being the state with the lowest instructional days for our students," Espero said.

State Sen. Norman Sakamoto, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the issue has "no silver bullet."

At the rally yesterday, Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, airport, Salt Lake), said the turnout was a first step.

"The community was willing to take time out of their schedules to make education a priority," he said.

The first furlough Friday yesterday canceled classes for some 170,000 public school students.

Over the course of the school year, 16 more furlough Fridays will follow, amounting to a 7.9 percent pay cut for teachers. The furlough plan, drawn up as an emergency fix to help close the state's massive budget gap, was ratified in September by Hawaii State Teachers Association members. The plan could save up to $5 million per furlough day.

NUMEROUS PROTESTS

The rally yesterday was among a handful of gatherings statewide to protest the furlough plan.

At Noelani Elementary School in Mänoa yesterday morning, about 75 parents and students congregated on the campus lawn, shouting, "Open our school! Open our school!"

Parent John Szostak, whose 7-year-old attends Noelani, said he attended the protest to "register our concern that our son is going to get 20 percent less education than we got."

Celia Jones flew in from Virginia to protest at Noelani with her daughter-in-law and grandchild, who attends the school. Jones said some of her friends on the Mainland are shocked at the state's decision to cut school days.

"It just doesn't make sense," Jones said, shaking her head. "They're going to pay in the long run for this."

For many Hawaii parents, though, yesterday didn't involve a protest.

It started out with a big change in routine — dropping their kids off at day care instead of school.

Many parents leaving their children at day care centers said the financial strain of paying for such programs in order to deal withthe furloughs has been tough. Child care providers added that the lower-than-expected turnout at day care programs is probably because people are already struggling in the economic downturn. They said turnout will likely increase as the furlough plan progresses.

Nyree Norman, who was dropping off her 7-year-old daughter yesterday at a Kamaäina Kids day program being offered at Wilcox Elementary School, said she is glad that the programs were put together on "such short notice." But, she added, "couldn't we help the teachers and keep the schools open? It flabbergasts me."

WORKING TOGETHER

Some parents and caregivers decided to put together their own programs to avoid day care costs that ran from about $25 to upward of $50 a day.

Patsy Colburn, a Kahuku grandmother, opened her doors to friends and family. And yesterday, she had five children from 7 months to kindergartners in her home.

Colburn is looking for volunteers to help her and hopes to expand the numbers as the furlough days continue.

"Down here not too many people can afford it, so I'm just trying to help out with whatever I can do," Colburn said.

At Liholiho Elementary School in Kaimukí, a sense of pioneer adventure seemed to permeate the setting at 8 a.m.

"Welcome — we're going to have a fun Friday," PTA-hired school director Jodi Yoshimura announced to 54 kindergarten through fifth-grade students who had registered for the school Parent-Teacher Association's Furlough Friday Learning Opportunities Program.

Teachers, parents and even the kids seemed to realize they were moving into uncharted educational waters.

By the time the final school bell rang at 2 p.m., they all agreed the first furlough Friday program had gone off without a hitch.

"It was a lot of fun, but quite tiring," Yoshimura said with a sigh and a laugh.

Even Michael Nakamoto, 6, who confessed reservations about coming to school on what would otherwise have been a day off, was on board.

"I was kind of hoping to be out of school today," he said as he was leaving with his parents, Dave and Sabra Nakamoto. "But when I got to school, I had fun."

Sabra Nakamoto seemed relieved just to know the furlough Friday learning program had become a reality.

"It was a very bumpy ride," Nakamoto said. "There were meetings almost every day. And I think what made it work was that the PTA, the SCC (School Community Council) and the school principal, Mrs. (Christina)Small, all worked together as an exceptional and dedicated all-volunteer team."

Yoshimura, who normally is the school services coordinator, is a customary face around the school as were her two teaching colleagues.

She said the game plan was to apply the students' basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills to real-life activities. It was not to advance what the students would normally learn, which would violate Department of Education policies and give students of the program an unfair advantage over those whose families can't afford to participate.

"It's more of a practical application of the skills they've already learned," said Yoshimura. "It should all be a fun, relaxed atmosphere that allows the children to explore their own strengths and interests," she said.

HITTING THE MALLS

For those who didn't attend day care programs, there were plenty of other activities available.

At Pearlridge Center, hundreds came out yesterday for furlough Friday fun that included booths and workshops in music, gymnastics, Hawaiian language and star-finding with crew members of the voyaging canoe Hokulea.

Foot traffic at the mall was up 50 percent yesterday morning, a spokeswoman said.

Emily Stepp of Pearl City, brought her son, Jerry, a 9-year-old fourth-grader at Pearl City Elementary, and 17-month-old daughter, Kamryn, to Pearlridge looking for something constructive to do.

"I just wanted to get the kids out of the house instead of being cooped up all day," she said.

As for Jerry, "he's glad to have a day off," Emily said.

Jerry added for emphasis, "I don't like school."

At Ala Moana Center yesterday, there were plenty of teenagers walking around.

Joe Crawford, a 17-year-old senior at Roosevelt High School, and Rob Chu, a 16-year-old junior at Roosevelt, spent the morning "just hanging out," Joe said. "We just wanted to have a fun day."

Like other students at Ala Moana yesterday, Donovan Miguel, a 15-year-old sophomore at Waipahu High School, said the furlough days just mean more school work from his teachers, who are trying to cram five days of instruction into only four days of school.

"It sucks," he said. "It only means more homework for us."

Donovan's classmate, Desiree Mateo, 15, said, "It doesn't feel like we're learning."

Aja Wakamoto and Heather Membrere, both 15-year-old sophomores at Farrington High School, swore they plan to spend their furlough days studying — after they spent the first day shopping at Ala Moana.

"We have a lot more homework with less time to do it," Aja said. "I don't like that we have to make up for the 17 days."

Lots of public school students and their families also congregated at Oahu's "high traffic" city and county beach parks, such as Ala Moana and Hanauma Bay.

Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department, which includes the Ocean Safety Division, said the crowds were comparable to those seen on weekends and holidays.