School days are important, but even more critical is the quality and type of education provided during the classroom time that is available.

Hawai'i's school system has ranked near the bottom nationally for years — even when we had longer schools days. This unfortunate fact, recently reaffirmed by the D and F grades issued to Hawai'i by the Center for American Progress, reinforces the need to fundamentally change the way we deliver education in our state.

And that is precisely what Gov. Linda Lingle is focused on achieving by targeting federal stimulus dollars in three key areas that can be leveraged to bring in federal funds.

The first is requiring the Department of Education to set an agenda to assure that every child graduates with a diploma that signifies that they are either able to go to college or enter the workforce without the need for remedial training. Sadly, today over 70 percent of Hawai'i's graduates are not equipped with the basic skills they need to enter college-level classes or compete for technical level jobs.

Second, the governor is putting federal dollars toward programs that train Hawai'i students in science, technology, engineering and math — also known as STEM skills. These are precisely the educational areas that provide the skills our children will need to compete locally and internationally for the technical jobs of the future.

The Obama administration has similarly emphasized and reinforced the importance of education focused in this area by giving a competitive preference for more federal funds to school systems that offer rigorous courses in STEM education.

Third, Gov. Lingle has pledged federal stimulus dollars to assist Hawai'i's public charter schools — another area where President Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan have placed a priority.

To qualify for additional federal education funds, states must demonstrate that public charter schools are receiving equitable funding compared to traditional schools and conditions are in place to allow high-performing public charter schools to flourish.

Funding available to the state under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Part B, is critical to enhancing and advancing education in our public school system. These are funds that will benefit students and educators and elevate the quality of education in our state. Hawai'i has the unique opportunity to leverage federal stimulus money to make fundamental improvements in our schools.

Class time is also important, and that is why Gov. Lingle has proposed using the "rainy day" fund to help eliminate 27 of the 34 Fridays when schools would otherwise be closed. This plan would also require teachers and education officials to use noninstructional days for their furloughs to restore the lost instructional days.

The governor's plan allows Hawai'i's children to return to the classroom and still tap federal funds to improve the quality of what goes on in the classroom. This common sense approach will move Hawai'i up from the bottom rungs of the national school performance ladder.