Maui, Big Island schools get millions
WAILUKU » Baldwin High School will be getting a new library and Maui Waena Intermediate will get a new classroom building as a result of $18.2 million released by Gov. Linda Lingle.
The governor also announced last week that she was releasing nearly $10.2 million that had been appropriated for a new classroom building at the Big Island's Keaau Middle School, which suffers from overcrowding. The facility will include five science classrooms, an industrial technology classroom, a special education classroom, a faculty center and a computer resource center. And she released nearly $4.4 million for the construction of a six-classroom building at Naalehu Elementary and Intermediate School on the Big Island. Construction is set to begin in January 2008.
On Maui, about $9.2 million will be used to build Baldwin a new library that includes a media center. Funds also will be used to restore the existing library to its previous use as two classrooms.
Philip Gilbert, a school vice principal, said the new library will help to sharpen students' research skills, especially since many of them are choosing to seek education beyond high school.
"It's absolutely a thrill," Gilbert said. "It better prepares the kids."
Baldwin's enrollment is expected to increase from 1,651 students to 1,716 by 2008.
Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2007 and be completed by April 2008.
Lingle released $8.7 million to build a new eight-classroom building at Maui Waena, including a computer resource center, a music room and classrooms for science.
Classroom building construction is scheduled to start in March 2008, with completion forecast for June 2009.