36 school projects
get left behindAn aide to Lingle says other
improvements remain under study
When Gov. Linda Lingle staged a "Back to School" celebration at the state Capitol to announce that she was releasing $120 million for school improvement projects, she failed to point out what was not getting funded.
Only four of the 40 capital improvement projects funded by legislators for specific schools this year got the governor's OK on Saturday. Lingle had threatened to withhold money from what she considered "pork barrel" projects.
"It's not over until it's over," Russ Saito, comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting & General Services, said yesterday, noting that appropriated funds remain available for three years and could eventually be released.
"The question is which ones of those will be funded, and that requires an individual case-by-case analysis."
Roughly $41 million of the money released on Saturday was for capital improvements funded by the Legislature in 2001 and 2002 that had never been spent. Most projects are to comply with requirements for health and safety, access for the disabled and gender equity in sports.
The governor also released an additional $21 million budgeted this year in lump sums for capital improvements statewide that will go largely to meeting the same requirements. The Department of Education will determine which schools get those funds.
The governor approved four school-specific capital improvement projects that were budgeted this year: the construction of Maui Lani Elementary School and new classroom buildings at Waipahu, Hana and Waianae high schools.
She did not, however, release money for five other projects on the Board of Education's priority list that had been budgeted by the Legislature: $2.5 million for renovation of Building A at Roosevelt High School, $650,000 for a gymnasium at Pahoa High and nearly $1 million to design new classroom buildings for Nanakuli High, Mililani High and a cafeteria for Kilauea Elementary.
The governor's office referred inquiries to Saito, who said the department is reviewing the details of the Roosevelt project as well as the Pahoa gym, which involves a donation to the school system. The other three projects had funds for design but no construction money for the following year, he noted.
"Unless you get the construction dollars in there, it might not make sense to have it designed," he said.
Legislators expressed appreciation for the money the governor released, but said they hoped they and their constituents could persuade her of the merits of the school-specific projects as well, including those that were not on the Board of Education's priority list.
"These are what the schools wanted, not a bureaucrat or a politician," said Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu (D, Waipahu-Waikele). "It's not pork, it's what the schools are telling us they need."
Such projects include $3.2 million for a new cafeteria at Waipahu Intermediate and $1.2 million for an electrical upgrade for Campbell High School.
Sen. Norman Sakamoto (D, Salt Lake-Foster Village), chairman of the Education Committee, noted that the governor cannot redirect funds that are earmarked for specific schools.
"These dollars can't be used elsewhere," he said. "Every dollar will help the schools. I think she should release all of it. This is the opportune time, when the interest rate is favorable."
Along with the capital improvement funds, Lingle also released all of the $35 million appropriated by the Legislature this year for repair and maintenance projects at public schools. Some projects are substantial, such as $200,000 to fix the fire alarm system at Kahuku High & Intermediate and $580,000 in classroom renovations at Liliuokalani Elementary School.
For Fern Elementary the news was mixed. The repair funds released by the governor include $110,000 to re-roof Building J. But legislators had budgeted $235,000 in capital improvement funds to replace roofs on Buildings B and C as well.
"It's very much needed, and to not have the entire project funded of course is disappointing to us, but we understand," said Principal Sophia Davis. "Building B is one of our oldest buildings, and it needs some work right now. We're finding some shifting in the foundation, and the gutters are falling apart."
