Thursday is the new Friday when it comes to scheduling many public school activities — except sports — now that teachers will be taking 17 furlough days a year to help the state dig its way out of an $878 mil-lion budget crisis.

All of the 17 days will be taken on Fridays, starting Oct. 23.

The state Department of Education said high school football games and other interscholastic athletic events and state championship tournaments will not be affected by "Furlough Fridays," but proms, dances, plays and other after-school events may have to be rescheduled to Thursdays or canceled.

School athletic teams may practice on furlough days, but only after 3 p.m., and teachers who coach can continue to do so, the department said.

Keith Amemiya, executive of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, said his recommendation to the DOE was "to keep the status quo and allow the state tournaments to continue as scheduled."

"It would have created a lot of rescheduling difficulties and it would definitely affect revenue because games would be held on weeknights instead of on weekends," he said.

Finding facilities for rescheduled games also would be difficult because venues are booked long in advance, Amemiya said.

"We appreciate the superintendent's and DOE's understanding of the situation regarding state tournaments and the need to allow Friday competition as much as possible," he said.

Public school athletic programs already have been hit with a 36 percent overall budget reduction for the current school year.

The Hawaii High School Athletic Association launch-ed the Save Our Sports — or SOS — program on July 28 to collect donations to help offset the budget cuts. The program has raised more than $850,000 so far.

Club meetings, band practices and other extracurricular activities also can occur on Furlough Fridays, as long as they take place after 3 p.m., according to DOE spokeswoman Sandra Goya. However, school officials are being advised that after-school student activities such as dances, proms, plays and conferences planned by schools off campus or on campus should be rescheduled to Thursdays or another day, if possible. If the activity cannot be rescheduled, then cancellation may be necessary, the DOE said.

Out-of-state and in-state trips involving students and DOE employees on furlough days also should be rescheduled, if possible.

In cases, for example, where performance halls have been reserved or travel arrangements booked, principals will have the discretion to allow the activities to proceed as scheduled, according to the DOE.

'WE'LL FIND A WAY'

Some are questioning why Friday, a busy activity day, was chosen for furloughs instead of Monday, which would have the same effect as a three-day weekend, or Wednesday, which already is a short instructional day.

"The discussion regarding the scheduling of furlough days was a part of (contract) negotiations (between the state and the Hawaii State Teachers Association), and both parties agreed on Fridays," Goya said.

Many teachers involved in extracurricular activities were uncertain yesterday how the furloughs will affect their programs and are waiting for more detailed instructions from administrators.

"The students are concerned because they don't know the impact. They really don't want to miss any rehearsals," said Roosevelt High School band director Gregg Abe. "I always tell the kids, 'We'll find a way to make it work.' "

Roosevelt's concert band is planning a trip to Japan in March, and Abe, who has been at the school 25 years, isn't sure what the furloughs may mean for that endeavor. He noted the parents of a number of band members are teachers, and that a 7.9 percent pay cut under the contract approved this week also could mean the trip is no longer affordable for those families.

The McKinley Theatre Group II was planning an opening-night performance of "Letters to a Student Revolutionary," a play by Elizabeth Wong, on a Furlough Friday in December, according to teacher John Newkirk. He's wondering whether they'll be forced to reschedule.

"There still needs to be some guidance on the part of administrators. We haven't been told what the impacts are," he said. "I haven't even talked to the kids about it today. All they know is that they're getting 17 days off. They're stoked, but they don't realize what that means."

WORKING FOR FREE

Newkirk also is worried about whether his students will be able to participate in a Hawaii Speech League tournament scheduled for Jan. 15 — another furlough day — at Parker School in Waimea on the Big Island. The tournament is a qualifying event for the state tournament, and it may be difficult to reschedule.

Newkirk is an official with the speech league, which sponsors activities for intermediate and high school students at public and private schools from across the state. He said the group will discuss the possible impacts of the furloughs during its tournament Saturday at Kamehameha-Kapalama.

"The problem is that we're beholden to Parker School, and they're going to host when they can host," he said. "Keep in mind that the Hawaii Speech League comprises public and private schools, and how far do we go to reschedule to appease the public schools? Some schools may have air reservations already."

If the McKinley students are unable to participate in the January event, "that's one less opportunity to qualify for the state tournament," he said.

Newkirk, who has been at McKinley for 18 years, said teachers involved in nonathletic extracurricular activities are not paid for their efforts. Although teachers are upset with the furloughs and what it will do to their paychecks, he expects most will continue leading after-school programs.

"They'll do what they've always done: They do it for the kids, and that gets taken advantage of by the politicians and the people who run things," he said. "Teachers give up their money, they give up their time and will continue to do that because that's their thing, that's how they're built."