Teachers in Hawaii voted last week in favor of a proposed deal to end the nation’s shortest school year and put 179,000 students back in class.
Teachers approved the new supplemental labor contract with 84 percent of the vote, putting pressure on Hawaii’s elected leaders to pay for the $92 million deal. The vote puts an agreement in place to resume a full 180-day school year after teacher furloughs cut 17 days from this school year and next to help balance the state budget.
Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, has said the deal is too expensive, and she wouldnt spend that much money.
