Teachers scrambled for news and contacted their union and government leaders Wednesday, two days ahead of the Department of Education’s plan to unilaterally impose a 5 percent wage reduction and other contract conditions.

In summer school classrooms, on social media websites and through email and phone calls, Hawaii public school teachers mulled over the DOE’s offer, set to go into effect Friday, and several expressed anger and disappointment over the unprecedented way in which the contract proposal was being implemented.

"We were all anticipating some kind of cut, but we felt we would have the right to vote on it before the DOE would just put it in place," said Larry Denis III, a computer resource teacher at Waikoloa Elementary who joined a discussion about the contract offer on the Hawaii State Teachers Association’s Facebook page.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, meanwhile, noted Wednesday that most state workers will get similar pay cuts when the administration begins working under its new budget Friday.

Denis, in a phone interview from West Hawaii, said the DOE’s move to unilaterally impose the new contract was "really a slap in the face," adding, "For a majority of teachers, the feedback I’m getting is that we are not happy."

Cynthia Suehiro, a math teacher at Kaimuki High, said she’s "furious" over how the teachers contract is being imposed without union approval, and is also angry over increased costs for medical premiums.

"This is just being shoved down our throats," she said. "It’s union busting."

The DOE announced last week it would implement its "last, best and final" contract offer for Hawaii’s 12,700 public school teachers after being unable to reach a deal with the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

The governor and schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi say the new contract is needed to achieve 5 percent labor savings and put changes in place before the new school year begins Aug. 1.

The existing two-year contract for teachers expires today, and it remains unclear what the HSTA’s next steps will be.

Union leaders said Wednesday they were still exploring their options, and remain interested in returning to the bargaining table.

Meanwhile, Abercrombie said his administration would start to implement the new state budget Friday, the first day of the new fiscal year. The budget presumes 5 percent labor savings and an equal split on health insurance premiums for public workers.

Most units of the Hawaii Government Employees Association will receive the pay and benefits reduction, but Hawaii Government Employees Association nurses, who rejected the contract and have moved to arbitration, will temporarily have their pay restored to June 2009 levels — an 8 percent to 10 percent bump in existing pay.

Members of the United Public Workers will also have their pay temporarily restored to June 2009 levels because the union is still in contract talks with the state.

The Abercrombie administration has indicated, however, that it intends to achieve the targeted labor savings from those unions.

State lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, judges and department directors will continue with 5 percent pay cuts. The governor said his staff and other civil service employees would also take 5 percent pay cuts.

"This budget reflects the goal of shared sacrifice that we laid out in the very beginning of our administration," the governor said Wednesday in a statement. "While some believe this is not enough and others feel it is too much, I believe these targets are a reasonable basis that recognizes the value of public employee efforts while living within our means."

The "last, best" proposal for teachers includes a 1.5 percent pay cut and furloughs equal to a 5 percent wage reduction in each of the next two years.

Teachers would also have to pay 50 percent of their health insurance premiums, up from 40 percent now.

The Department of Education’s move to unilaterally impose its "last, best" offer has never been done before in public-sector negotiations in the islands, local labor experts say.

Federal labor law covering private-sector negotiations allows the implementation of a "last, best" offer if the employer determines contract talks are at an impasse. But applying that to public-sector talks in Hawaii is uncharted territory.

The DOE posted a calculator on its website Wednesday for teachers to see how much their paychecks would shrink under the contract offer.

According to the DOE calculator, a 10-month teacher who earns $56,195 — an average used for school-level funding purposes — would lose $2,800 a year under the contract, not counting increased medical costs. Hawaii teacher wages vary widely, depending on education, years of service and certifications. A starting teacher with a bachelor’s degree, for example, earns about $33,000.

Starr Asselin, a fourth-grade teacher at Waikoloa Elementary, said teachers will be taking "more than their fair share" of needed labor savings under the contract offer.

"I’m not quite sure how long I can afford to keep this job," she said. "I’m really disappointed, sad and frankly worried because it’s already been hard to make ends meet."

Kevin Matsunaga, a media teacher and technology coordinator at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue, said teachers "understand that concessions need to be made."

But he said the increases in medical premiums will be tough to swallow.

He also took issue with the way the contract offer is being put in place.

"I think our union has to step in and do something about it," he said. "I think they need to exhaust every option."

Corey Rosenlee, a social studies teacher at Campbell High, said he would like to see the state go back to the bargaining table to reach a deal.

"I don’t like that Abercrombie is imposing on us, instead of negotiating with us," he said, adding that he would support a deal that includes pay cuts in the short term along with wage increases in the future, when the economy has improved.

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Star-Advertiser staff writer Derrick DePledge contributed to this report.