School funding looked so bad for Hawaii last month that the government announced it would shorten its academic year to 163 days, furloughing teachers and closing most Fridays. The move garnered criticism from parents, teachers and even the Obama administration.

Now Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle is backtracking, saying she wants to dip into emergency funds to restore 27 furlough days and get kids back into school on Fridays, the AP reports. The Garden Island details the new plan.

Florida, with one of the nation's most struggling financial pictures, expects to have its own share of continuing money woes for schools in the years to come. Is there a lesson here for Florida leaders, who have cut state education funding the past few years and now warn about the "cliff" when stimulus funds run dry?

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