Get ready for a dizzying round of “;spin the keiki.”;

While the debate over Furlough Fridays had until recently focused on money and politics, the call for systemwide reform of the state's public schools now is firmly back in the spotlight at the state Legislature.

The fact that influential Democrats and Republicans agree that Hawaii's Department of Education is overdue for an overhaul signals that the state may have reached a tipping point toward the type of reforms sought in vain by every governor since John Burns.

And that means the labor unions considered to benefit most from the status quo - the Hawaii Government Employees Association (which represents school principals), the Hawaii State Teachers Association (teachers) and United Public Workers (campus security guards, cafeteria workers and custodians) - are on full alert.

Here's a guide to some of the major issues - besides funding - pending in the Legislature as the rhetoric heats up, and each opposing force claims to have the students in mind:

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Appoint it: There's broad support in the House and Senate for bills that would let voters decide whether to replace the current elected statewide Board of Education with one appointed by the governor. Those pushing for an appointed board - including former Democratic Govs. George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano - say it would improve the entire school system by making the governor directly accountable. But opponents - including the current elected school board and the HSTA - say it would deprive the average citizen of a crucial voice. Reformers emphasize that labor unions derive their power partly by influencing school board elections. Voters have twice refused to switch from an elected to appointed board (which requires amending the state Constitution), but the mood of the public may be shifting as the current system fails to resolve the Furlough Fridays that have left Hawaii students with the shortest school year in the nation.

As Debi Hartmann, a former BOE chairwoman who's now executive director of the state Democratic Party put it: “;The arguments that are being made about why an elected board is ineffective are arguments we've been making for 20 years. And if you keep making the same argument, and you keep having the same complaint and you keep doing nothing, then the message there is 'we really don't put education No. 1.'”;

There's a risk of the proposal becoming false reform if the appointment process becomes so diluted (with, say, lawmakers, unions and the governor sharing the selection process) that true accountability is lost.

Abolish it: Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, thwarted in earlier attempts to decentralize the DOE by creating local school districts with local boards, has reversed course and now wants to centralize it under the executive branch. But her proposal to abolish the school board and have the governor appoint a Cabinet-level superintendent isn't getting anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan favors the governor's plan as the first step toward eventual decentralization because it defines clear responsibility.

“;You cannot get reform, or even a direction toward reform, if you continue to operate in a system where there is no accountability,”; she said.

A charter school parent, Finnegan wants all public schools to have more control over their own budgets, describing the current weighted student formula as inadequate.

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

The DOE has failed to implement the performance contracts called for under 2004's Act 51 that were intended to give principals more authority and accountability.

Hawaii's public school principals are the only ones in the nation who are unionized, and performance contracts wouldn't change that. But they are considered an important tool to improve school-level leadership and management. House Education Chairman Roy Takumi has deferred a bill on the issue, based on the DOE's promise of progress.

“;We were assured that a more rigorous evaluation of teachers and principals”; is forthcoming, Takumi said, adding that the bill could be revived if the DOE effort stalls.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

The relative independence of Hawaii's 31 public charter schools has allowed them to adapt more flexibly and creatively to the state's budget crisis, and key legislators are starting to notice. It's not that the charters aren't hurting - they already receive less funding per pupil than regular public schools. But by answering to individual communities, rather than having to adopt a systemwide approach, many have avoided furloughing teachers or ending bus service by cutting costs elsewhere and counting every penny. With several thousand children on charter school waiting lists, Finnegan wants to lift the cap on the number of charter schools allowed and revise the funding formula. House Speaker Calvin Say has reservations, but the Palolo Democrat does acknowledge being impressed that “;they're living within their means.”;

INSTRUCTIONAL TIME

Bills in both the House and Senate would mandate minimum instructional time, per school day and per school year. But lawmakers say they don't have a chance of passing as is, and enactment could be tough even with amendments, given that the state Constitution requires negotiating such contractual changes with the affected labor unions. Wages, hours and other “;conditions of employment”; all require such negotiation. No one is pretending that the state currently has the money to pay employees to work more. And the failure to persuade them to work the same amount of time for less money - a straight pay cut versus unpaid time off - is what caused the furloughs in the first place.

TECHNOLOGY/EFFICIENCY

The front-end costs associated with updating antiquated Department of Education financial systems (the manual payroll system is legendary) make such funding seem like a nonstarter in a lean year. But with the baby boomers nearing 65 and the DOE expecting a wave of retirements, it could be wise to pay now to automate some functions and save big on labor costs down the road.

“;That's always the dilemma. The front-end costs versus the later cost savings,”; said Takumi, who also sees technology as a way to save money on and improve student instruction. “;Online learning is very important,”; he said.

Beefing up online course offerings could help mitigate concerns about larger class sizes and curricular shortcomings at schools with fewer expert teachers.