The state pushed away from the bargaining table Friday and went directly to Hawaii’s public school teachers with its "last, best and final" contract offer, an unusual tactic that angered the teachers union.

The Department of Education offer includes pay and time-off provisions that amount to a 5 percent pay cut. It also wants teachers to pay 50 percent of their health premiums, up from the 40 percent they pay now.

Wil Okabe, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said he was "very concerned about the situation" and predicted negotiations would likely reach an impasse, with a federal mediator being called in.

Okabe said the HSTA board reviewed the offer last week and rejected it in a unanimous vote. The union will not bring the offer up for a vote by teachers, he said.

The offer is similar to contracts accepted by most units of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, which represents many white-collar workers.

The Abercrombie administration and the United Public Workers, which represents blue-collar workers, are still in contract talks.

The state publicized its offer to the 12,700 members of the Hawaii State Teachers Association through a news release and letters that many teachers received Friday.

The state’s offer includes:

» A 1.5 percent reduction in the salary pay rate, and leave without pay on certain noninstructional days, for a total wage reduction equivalent to 5 percent. Teachers on a 10-month school year would have 71⁄2 unpaid days off, while year-round teachers would have nine unpaid days off.

» A 50-50 split on employee and state contributions to medical insurance.

» Increased preparation time for teachers.

The move angered HSTA leaders, who said they were interested in returning to the bargaining table and were disappointed that the DOE tried to bargain with members directly.

"That has never been done in any kind of collective bargaining," Okabe said. "This is not acceptable. We want to continue negotiations in good faith."

In a video message to teachers, schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said the department is "moving forward to implement" the offer effective July 1, after being unable to reach a deal with the HSTA during months of contract negotiations.

The DOE and Board of Education remain "committed to our promise to students, families and teachers across the state — no reduction in student instructional days and continued support of our teachers in their vital role in student achievement," Matayoshi said in a separate news release.

Multiple calls to a DOE spokeswoman and Matayoshi were not returned. Friday was a furlough day for DOE employees.

The existing contract for teachers expires Thursday, and the DOE, board and union have worked for months to hammer out a deal for the next two school years. A host of education reforms the DOE has pledged to implement for the coming school year, such as teacher evaluations tied to student performance in some schools, hinge on the union first agreeing to an overall contract for teachers.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a news release that he hopes teachers "will be given the opportunity to vote on the proposal so we all can move the focus to preparing for the new school year and giving our children the best possible education."

He also said the offer’s pay reduction is similar to what other public-sector unions have agreed to "so that we can live within our fiscal constraints."

Okabe questioned why the governor was "negotiating in the media," despite making pledges to work more cooperatively with unions.

There were mixed reactions to the offer from teachers Friday, some of whom said they had been bracing for the worst.

Whitney Yamamoto, a special-education teacher at Wilson Elementary, said the "leave without pay" on noninstructional days sounded a lot like furloughs, which the governor has said he would end.

But she also said she’s interested in getting the contract talks over with so teachers can move on.

"It’s just taking a lot longer than everyone had thought," she said. "The not knowing is not so great."

Sheri Funasaki, a teacher at Mililani Mauka Elementary, said the pay cut didn’t worry her. What did was the change in medical payments.

"I don’t want them to touch the medical. It’s already so expensive," said Funasaki, whose husband and two children are covered by her health plan. "It seems like every year it’s going up."

Message from Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi

Superintendents Message from Hawaii DOE – Video Technology on Vimeo.

Response from HSTA President Wil Okabe, sent to union members: