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FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Volunteers from Hawaii 3R's, including parents and New Hope Christian Fellowship members, recently painted the exterior of Puuhale Elementary School in Kalihi. Here, Ed Sunahara, husband of the school's principal, paints the curbing.

THE STRESS FACTOR

Playing repairs catch-up

A cash influx last year
led to makeovers for 40 schools;
work is under way at 57 more

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By Susan Essoyan
sessoyan@starbulletin.com

The list of what needs fixing at Hawaii's aging public schools fills pages and pages of fine print: termite-riddled wood, broken louvers, lighting and plumbing, floors and doors.

Why teaching and learning at Hawaii's public schools can be more difficult than it should be.

But more campuses than ever got complete makeovers last year and look almost new, thanks to an unprecedented infusion of $132 million -- four times what the state had been averaging on repair and maintenance in previous years.

The Department of Accounting & General Services, the much-maligned agency in charge of keeping up school facilities, renovated 40 schools last year, from Kohala High on the Big Island to Kapaa Elementary on Kauai.

"The whole campus has been fixed up, so people feel more pride," said Ilaisa Chang, a student at Waianae High School and president of its LEO Club, a service group. "It feels more welcoming, not so ugly."

Work is under way at an additional 57 schools, with projects either out to bid, in the design stage or under construction. (See list.) The agency is now setting its sights on the rest of the state's 283 public schools that need help.

Repairs had been put on hold for years, and dismay over decrepit facilities led lawmakers to pump up spending on school repairs. But funding is a question mark under Gov. Linda Lingle's administration, and moves are afoot at the Legislature to take responsibility for the job away from DAGS.

Spending on repair and maintenance at the public schools had averaged less than $29 million annually from 1996 to 2001 before jumping to $132 million for fiscal year 2002, according to figures provided by James Richardson, head of the Central Services Division of DAGS. An additional $126 million was allocated for the current fiscal year.

As a result, the $640 million backlog in repair and maintenance that had accumulated as of July 2001 has been pared to $469 million, he said.

"For many schools it's like night and day," said Sen. Norman Sakamoto, chairman of the Education Committee. "We really ramped up repair and maintenance of schools. It's an effort that's well under way. I hope we can keep the resources up."

The budget prepared under the previous administration called for keeping expenditures on repairs and maintenance at roughly $120 million a year for the next two fiscal years, but Lingle says that figure is likely to be pared along with other capital projects.

"That's simply because the money's not there to pay for it," she said last week. "We'll be paying for those improvements for 20 years because they're capital improvement projects. And there's no new recurring revenue to cover things like debt service."

During her campaign, Lingle blamed DAGS for the backlog, saying it was a "choke point" and that its repair and maintenance duties should be handed over to the schools. But her priority now, she said, is getting a system of local school boards launched, and she will hold off on tackling DAGS until a later date.

Nonetheless, others are pushing the cause. In his opening-day speech, House Speaker Calvin Say called the system for repair and maintenance at public schools "woefully inadequate."

"Local schools know what should be fixed," Say said. "Government should provide the resources and then get out of the way. We will pass legislation to allow schools to make their own contract decisions and speed up repair and maintenance."

Principals now have a small pot of money that allows them to take care of minor repairs on campuses themselves, but big jobs go through DAGS. The Department of Education is submitting a bill to take over responsibility for all repairs from DAGS, although just how the new system would work is not yet clear.

"We're looking at it in terms of having better control," said Greg Knudsen, spokesman for the Department of Education. "We believe we'd be in a position to be more cost-effective, to make the money go further.

"There are questions," he acknowledged, "about where do you establish base yards, and the whole infrastructure that would come with it to deliver the services."

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Hawaii 3R's gets all
involved in school repairs

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Residents and businesses who want to pitch in to fix up their local schools now have a way to get involved: the Hawaii 3R's initiative, which stands for "Repair, Remodel, Restore Our Schools."

"If we are expecting excellence from our students and teachers, we have to put them in facilities that reflect that commitment," said Alan Oshima, an attorney and vice chair of Hawaii 3R's.

Launched by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye more than a year ago, Hawaii 3R's brings together state, federal and private funds with volunteer "sweat equity," both skilled and unskilled. The goal is to use outside resources to help pare the backlog of repair projects at public schools.

"We're trying to leverage scarce resources with volunteerism," Oshima said. "We'd like to get ownership of the neighborhood school back in the hands of the community, so they feel pride in the school and will maintain it.

"We link businesses with schools, and we ask schools to apply for grants from Hawaii 3R's. They have to match the dollars with volunteer effort," he said.

So far, 32 schools across the state have been helped with grants totaling $1 million, according to Capsun Poe, Hawaii 3R's executive assistant. The projects were valued at $2.9 million, so taxpayers saved nearly $2 million through the effort, he said.

Trade unions, businesses, the military, community leaders, parents, teachers and students have teamed up with state agencies on the projects. Volunteers have done everything from painting the library at Eleele Elementary School on Kauai to breaking up and removing a concrete slab at Hickam Elementary School, the first step in transforming an old airplane hangar into a new multipurpose facility.

Hawaii 3R's has received funding from the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Campbell Estate and the AT&T Foundation. Grant awards are limited to $50,000 per application.

To get involved, contact Hawaii 3R's at 440-3876 or e-mail info@hawaii3rs.com.

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2003 renovations Public schools under renovation in fiscal year 2003: Honolulu Ala Wai Elementary Aliiolani Elementary Hokulani Elementary Jefferson Elementary Ka'ewai Elementary Kahala Elementary Kaiulani Elementary Kalani High Kalihi Kai Elementary Liliuokalani Elementary Lincoln Elementary Ma'ema'e Elementary Palolo Elementary Stevenson Intermediate Central Aiea Elementary Aliamanu Elementary Alvah Scott Elementary Helemano Elementary Mililani High Pearl Harbor Elementary Wahiawa Elementary Waialua High Waimalu Elementary Wheeler Elementary Leeward August Ahrens Elementary Barbers Point Elementary Ewa Beach Elementary Ewa Elementary Highlands Intermediate Maili Elementary Makaha Elementary Pearl City Highlands Elementary Waipahu Elementary Waipahu High Windward Kahuku High & Intermediate Kailua Elementary Kailua Inter. Kainalu Elementary King Intermediate Maunawili Elementary Big Island Hilo High Holualoa Elementary Kau High & Elementary Keaukaha Elementary Kohala Elementary Konawaena High Mountain View Elementary Paauilo School Pahoa Elementary Waiakea Elementary Maui Baldwin High Kahului Elementary Lanai High and Elementary Lihikai Elementary Molokai High & Intermediate Kauai Kauai High Waimea High

2002 renovations Public schools renovated in fiscal year 2002: Honolulu Aina Haina Elementary Central Middle Farrington High Jarrett Intermediate Kaimuki Intermediate Kalihi Elementary Kawananakoa Middle Manoa Elementary Niu Valley Intermediate Roosevelt High Washington Intermediate Central Aiea High Aiea Intermediate Aliamanu Intermediate Hale Kula Elementary Haleiwa Elementary Radford High Leeward Pearl City Elementary Waianae Elementary Waianae High Windward Castle High Kailua High Laie Elementary Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate Big Island Honaunau Elementary Honokaa High & Intermediate Kalanianaole School Kapiolani Elementary Kohala High Pahoa High & Intermediate Waiakea Middle Maui Haiku Elementary Kilohana Elementary Lahainaluna High Makawao Elementary Maunaloa Elementary Wailuku Elementary Kauai Kalaheo Elementary Kapaa Elementary Kapaa High Source: Department of Accounting & General Services

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State Department of Education