The Hawaii State Teachers Association said it has "major concerns" about Gov. Linda Lingle's plan to restore furlough days, which it says results in teachers giving up all of their planning time and pares back services to public-school students.

In the clearest statement yet on the plan, union officials said yesterday they are concerned about teachers having to forgo 15 planning days between January 2010 and June 2011.

Lingle, who originally endorsed furloughing teachers on Fridays to save money, announced a plan on Nov. 15 to cancel the furlough days by tapping the state's rainy day fund and asking teachers to convert 15 planning days to instructional days.

Union officials said there aren't enough nonclassroom days to add up to 15, and the proposal results in teachers giving up all of the time they spend planning lessons, collaborating and taking professional development workshops.

"Teachers need an opportunity to have a dialogue with each other. Some schools are in corrective action. They have alternative providers who come into the school to provide teaching strategies. When are they going to have the opportunity to have that training?" said Wil Okabe, HSTA president. "Clearly, by giving them up, it would be a disservice to the students. This is about the quality of education. It's not about money."

Union officials also said the governor led the public to believe that the furlough days would be restored to full school days, with complete services offered. To the contrary, they say the governor's plan would only call back "essential" teachers, and would not cover the salaries of health aides, educational assistants, office staff, security guards or cafeteria workers.

"The perception was that it would be like a normal school day, it would function like any normal school day. Under her plan, it only funds teacher salaries," said Dwight Takeno, HSTA interim executive director. "So our concern is not only about the quality of education, but the health and safety of the children going back."

Takeno said the union has asked state officials to define what they mean by "essential" teachers.

"It's like we're trying to shoot from the hip on a skeleton system, which does not fund any other position except for teachers. We know all the auxiliary staff — school security, health aides, counselors, the whole gamut of what makes a system run — is not in this budget," Takeno said.

Both Linda Smith, Lingle's senior policy adviser, and Russell Pang, spokesman for the governor, did not respond to requests for comment. Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto also would not comment for this story.

On Tuesday, HSTA officials met privately with Lingle administration officials to discuss the governor's plan to end furlough Fridays. It was their first meeting since Lingle announced the plan.

Lingle's plan would require the state and the HSTA to reopen the teachers' contract and negotiate having teachers give up 15 planning days that would be used to replace furlough Fridays. Money from the rainy day fund — about $50 million — would cover an additional 12 days, for 27 furlough days in all.

While state House and Senate leaders have said they are willing to return in special session and tap the rainy day fund to reduce teacher furloughs, the governor's plan has been met with skepticism from the HSTA and some education officials.

Board of Education Chairman Garrett Toguchi last week questioned whether the $50 million would cover 12 days, as the governor estimates. Toguchi said it costs about $5 million a day to run the public school system, meaning $50 million would only cover about 10 days.

And now HSTA officials seem unconvinced by a proposal to redistribute 15 nonclassroom planning days to cover part of the furloughs.

Takeno said under Lingle's plan, teachers will have to spend more of their own time collaborating and planning lessons.

"Her plan is not asking for a portion. Her plan is carte blanche, I want all," Takeno said.

He said many schools have already voted to give up some of the six waiver and planning days. But requiring schools to give up all planning time means teachers will be left with no scheduled time to collaborate on teaching strategies.

"So basically, she's not restoring quality of education. She's just restoring quantity," Takeno said.

Several teachers have said they are ambivalent about giving up planning days, especially since they are for the benefit of student learning.

Ruth Dalisay, chair of the math department at Farrington High School, said teachers use those days to come up with strategies to help students who are falling behind, and to ensure that all subject-area teachers have continuity of curriculum.

"If all our days are converted to instructional days, we won't have the time," Dalisay said.

Because Farrington High is under restructuring, the highest level of sanction under the federal No Child Left Behind program, Dalisay said the planning days are used to review quarterly assessments and address areas where students need extra help.

Michelle Kay, a sixth-grade science teacher at Dole Middle School, said six of the waiver and professional development days were a result of the teachers' strike in 2001.

"We fought hard for those days. It was meant to give teachers and administrators time to learn strategies that benefit our students," Kay said.

If teachers were asked to give them up, she hopes it would only be temporary, she said. "Right now, instructional time is of the essence."

While principals are not part of the HSTA, some have expressed opposition to the governor's request to use noninstructional days.

"I can't imagine not having those," said Catherine Payne, principal at Farrington High.

Payne said two noninstructional days occur at the beginning of each school year. That is a time for principals to meet with teachers and discuss compliance issues and plan curriculum, she said.