Especially during a recession, state budget funds must be used wisely. Prioritizing is especially important given the many services that must be funded. Education should remain a top priority in this coming fiscal year.

In 2009, 23 percent of Hawai'i's budget spending went toward education, a figure that excludes University of Hawai'i funding. In fiscal year 2010, 21 percent of the budget is to be spent on education, cuts that have caused the BOE to issue furlough Fridays. Without the furloughs, Hawai'i had the fifth-shortest school year in the U.S. Losing 17 days should be inconceivable in a country that values education.

I attended public elementary school in Japan from the first to the third grade. There were 240 days of school a year, including some half days on Saturdays. The Ministry of Education in Japan believes that 240 days of school is necessary for students to be proficient in academics as well as special activities.

Education is the foundation of a stable economy. Taking school days away from students is ill-advised and can only have negative effects in the future, when those students attempt to compete with better-educated peers. Money should be spent on building an educated generation, or the state will be faced with the costs of an undereducated populace for generations to come.