$42 million allotted for school repairs
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By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer
The state Legislature yesterday approved a budget giving public schools $42 million for repair and maintenance over the next two fiscal years, $72 million short of what had been requested.
Department of Education officials warned that the money isn't enough and the shortage will undermine efforts to make a dent in the list of repairs at public-school campuses.
School officials had hoped the Legislature would provide money to continue its effort to make much-needed repairs at public schools that began last year when lawmakers provided an unprecedented $210 million toward the problem in a variety of allocations.
School conditions have been growing worse for more than a decade and even with the boost in financing last year, schools have an estimated $430 million backlog of needed repairs. The state Department of Accounting and General Services, the government agency in charge of school repairs and maintenance, asked for $120 million for repairs to continue its six-year plan to eliminate the backlog, but were budgeted $35 million for fiscal 2004 and only $7 million for fiscal 2005.
"It won't cover much of anything," said Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen. "There has been progress in the last few years which itself was an effort to catch up on long overdue work. That progress will come to a grinding halt."
The cuts do not come as a total surprise, with state lawmakers trying to balance the budget and Gov. Linda Lingle's administration asking all departments to make a 5 percent budget cuts.
Knudsen said the lack of financing will affect the learning environment in the classroom.
"It is clear that in the public's mind that the condition of the schools is one of the main concerns about public education," he said. "In bad economic times, repair and maintenance is sometimes seen as a deferrable expense, and maybe it is for one year or so, but when you start with as much as a $600 million backlog, then it is not a good idea to let it ride. Without even a reasonable level of support, there is no way those schools can be maintained properly."
In other education-related matters, Legislators passed a bill to allow schools to charge students $20 for textbooks to help reduce the shortage of textbooks in public schools.
House Bill 32, CD 1, introduced by Rep. Roy Takumi, D-36th (Pearl City, Palisades), chairman of the House Education Committee, stipulates that the fee would be waived for students that qualify for subsidized lunches.
Knudsen said the fee doesn't come close to the cost of a textbook, which is between $60 to $80, but for families with several children in school the cost could become a burden.
Also approved by the legislature is a school-reform bill (House Bill 289 CD1) which establishes 15 complex areas tasked with "administrative support and organizational purposes" for schools within their respective geographic regions.
Lingle wanted a broader bill that would overhaul the public school system — putting on the ballot a constitutional amendment asking voters to decide on replacing the statewide school board with seven elected local boards. Lingle said she will try again next year.
One other education-related measure was sent back to committee by the House. The move essentially killed the bill for this session.
The minimum kindergarten age bill (Senate Bill 17 CD1) would have required children to be 5 years old before Aug. 1 beginning in the 2005-06 school year. Current law requires children to reach their fifth birthday by Dec. 31 of the school year. The bill would also have required the state Department of Education to offer appropriate educational services for those children born after Aug. 1.
