Now, some big-hearted contractors and suppliers are trying to make up for that.

Kiewit Pacific Co. and its suppliers are building an 8-by-40-foot stage for performances and assemblies, replacing and expanding some rotting steps leading up to the stage, and redoing an adjoining sidewalk.

The $30,000 community project also includes rewiring the teacher's lounge to install an air-conditioning unit and building shelves for supplies and equipment there.

"It's heartwarming that a large company feels a part of the community and has the desire to contribute ... without expecting any benefit back," said school principal Todd Watanabe.

Kiewit area manager Steve Graef said the company approached the school after reading an Advertiser story in June about school projects that were not financed by legislators.

The DOE had asked for $543 million for 60 projects that had been prioritized according to need. Lawmakers appropriated far less, about $100 million, selecting nine from the DOE priority list and adding 69 projects that weren't high DOE priorities.

Ka'a'awa's $9.6 million request to replace the cafeteria and the administration building was rejected.

"They came out with a list and the money they were getting and we noticed there was one school that wasn't getting anything," Graef said. "We thought that was a sad state of affairs, and we're always looking for small- to mid-sized community service projects."

School officials, the area's legislator and past students said the project improves the appearance of the campus, will make it easier for parents to get involved at school, and builds a bond between the companies and the community.

Maraea Kaniho, who works at the school and had a child there last school year, said school performances often took place inside the school cafeteria, but the building is too small to accommodate all the parents, so they wouldn't show up.

"I missed my son's whole performance last year because I couldn't get in there," she said. "We want parents to be part of their children's lives, but it's hard when they come and they can't even see."

Kaniho said the old railing on the stairs leading up to the stage was rotten and unsafe. She also said the company worked quickly, finishing the project in time for the beginning of school in about two weeks.

The work is expected to be completed tomorrow when about a dozen Kiewit employees will show up to paint the stage, Graef said.

The school, which is across the street from the beach and has the splendid Ko'olau Range as a backdrop, opened more than 100 years ago. It's made up mostly of portable classroom buildings that have gone beyond their life expectancy of 10 years and are in need of repairs, Watanabe said. But with only 146 pupils, it is considered a temporary facility and doesn't fit the formula for school projects, he said.

Graef said Kiewit would like to do more for the school, and is planning on completing other small projects there.

"The school is in need of a lot more than we're able to give, but we'll pick the biggest challenges to the staff and the principal, and I'm hoping we can continue to do other projects out there," he said.

Anson Domingues, a 15-year-old former Ka'a'awa student, said the project has improved the appearance of the campus and will make it easier for children to enter the cafeteria. Having the stage outside the cafeteria will be useful for other activities as well, Domingues said.

"Ka'a'awa is lucky to have people doing this for free and helping them out to make the school better," he said.

State Rep. Colleen Meyer, R-47th (Ha'iku, Kahalu'u, La'ie), said it's terrific that Kiewit is supportive of the school and the families there, doing community service in addition to making money.

"It's the right attitude," she said.