HONOLULU -- Negotiators for the Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association reached an agreement on Wednesday to end school furloughs, KITV has learned.

The deal was reached after about two hours of talks on Wednesday morning at the Board of Education offices.

"It's been a long, long journey, very difficult, but we've come to some agreement tentatively right now," Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto said.

"I believe that the board and along with the Department of Education has come up some ideas and we have been able to collaboratively come to some type of options," HSTA President Wil Okabe said.

How many of the 27 furlough days will be restored? The leaders would not say. HSTA and DOE officials would not reveal details about the agreement or for how long it covered. Officials would say that it does require legislative approval, but that there is no need for changes to the teachers' contract.

"This morning, HSTA reached a tentative settlement in principle with the Board of Education and the Department of Education to reduce furlough days. Both sides are in the process of gaining approval on the agreement with their leadership, and we will share more information once the agreement is approved. We believe this is a reasonable solution that returns children to the classroom in a safe environment," Okabe said in a written statement.

Gov. Linda Lingle had proposed turning 15 teacher-training days into instructional days and using $50 million from the rainy day fund to restore 12 other furlough days. That would wipe out the 27 furlough Fridays planned for 2010 and 2011.

The negotiators for the HSTA and BOE continued talks after a breakdown last week with Gov. Linda Lingle's representatives. The governor's representatives were not part of the discussion.

Legislative leaders gave negotiators a Dec. 31 deadline to call a special session to approve the plan.

"It means we can actually smile at each other and we are looking forward to a very nice Christmas," Hamamoto said.

Members of the Hawaii Student Council reacted happily to Wednesday's tentative deal. They vowed to push for its approval. They said furloughs have set them back.

"After we've been working to lobby the Legislature, we've been working to lobby the Board of Education and the department to find a solution, and if they finally have, that's excellent," Roosevelt High School student Mark Aoki said.

"It's very important that we get our time in the classroom because it's much needed," Kapolei High School student Jasmine Healy said.

"I wasn't expecting them to reach a deal today because, after all their bickering, you know, I had lost hope. I started to get pessimistic," Waianae High School student Mark Dannag said.

The students said the face-to-face contact with teachers is critical to their learning.