While the teachers union is fighting to preserve 10 planning days in Hawai'i, a survey of several public school systems on the Mainland shows the number of planning days varies from seven to 13.

The state teachers union and Gov. Linda Lingle are at odds over her proposal that asks public school teachers to give up their planning days to eliminate a portion of 34 furlough days in the recently ratified two-year contract.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, education officials and state negotiators are scheduled to meet this morning to continue talks on Lingle's proposal to turn planning days into regular school days.

The union argues those days are needed to maintain quality in the state school system.

How many noninstructional days school districts across the Mainland provide to their teachers varies widely. On the low end, Seattle provides seven days, and on the upper end, Los Angeles provides 13 days. Locally, some private schools provide anywhere from zero to 12 days.

In Hawai'i, public school teachers get 10 noninstructional days sprinkled throughout the school year for different purposes, including teacher workshops, department meetings and curriculum planning.

Edna Hussey, elementary school principal at Mid-Pacific Institute , said elementary teachers at her school are provided with 12 workdays that are split up among several purposes: class preparation, staff preparation, grading and professional development.

"Any teacher, whether it's public or private, they need that time to do the kind of preparation necessary to effectively teach their class. It's absolutely necessary. You can't walk into a classroom without preparing," Hussey said.

Mid-Pacific provides high school teachers with eight days, Hussey said.

Similarly, Le Jardin Academy provides its teachers with five workdays that are spread through the year, said school spokeswoman Cynthia Lockhart .

But 'Iolani School provides no planning days, said spokeswoman Cathy Lee Chong.

"We don't set aside any days that we'd call planning days. Teachers are expected to manage their curriculum planning during their day, between classes, after school; some work into the evening," Chong said.

Wil Okabe, HSTA president, has said that teachers are angry that the governor is "belittling the importance" of planning days that are seen as vital for struggling schools and those involved in No Child Left Behind restructuring. The planning days are often used to work with private consultants on developing teaching skills and strategies for struggling students, he said.

Okabe has said that eliminating planning days would harm in-class instruction.

"All teachers need time to collaborate with their peers, discuss and observe best practices, and participate in professional development that prepares them for changing curriculum and the challenges of teaching a diverse population," Okabe said in a statement last week.

The nation's second-largest school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District, provides teachers with 13 days in the classroom without students. That's in addition to the 180 days of instruction mandated by California state law.

District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said teachers receive two weeks of work time in the classroom prior to the school year beginning for students.

"They're what's called 'unassigned days.' Teachers, in theory, use those days to set-up their classroom and plan," Pollard-Terry said.

Teachers also receive two "pupil-free" days, and a teacher prep day that can be scheduled either in February or June, she said.