While the relative swiftness of the repairs may be surprising given that years can elapse between when schools make construction requests and when work is completed, quick action is a matter of course in an emergency situation such as a fire, said Gilbert Chun, section administrator for the Operations and Maintenance Section of the DOE Facilities Branch.

Kalaheo Elementary School Principal Erik Burkman has been told that a new structure to replace classrooms destroyed by fire last month on Kaua'i could be ready by January 2007, and while he would be thrilled to have a new building in three years he remains cautious.

"I think their timelines are less realistic than mine," he said. "They want to get us back into a regular building as soon as possible."

Unlike ordinary repair and maintenance projects, which require approval from the Legislature, emergency repairs are financed by the state Department of Accounting and General Services risk-management division until it is refunded by insurance.

The fire gutted most of the second floor of this building. Wai'anae High Vice Principal Andrew Szkotak said last year that $100,000 worth of computers, books and supplies were lost in the blaze. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It's not as fast as we wanted, but the school is getting built," Chun said.

Workers this week are laying flooring, painting and hanging doors, windows and marker boards.

Despite any delays in construction, the state goes out of its way to limit the inconvenience to students and staff. In any emergency, "We want to put the school back to normal as soon as possible," Chun said.

In both cases, that means bringing in portable classrooms during construction on permanent structures.

History teacher Kathy Yamamoto, one of four Wai'anae teachers whose classrooms were destroyed, said she and the others had expected the building to be complete in March but did not mind the delay.

Tyrone Matthews, left, and Raymond Bacani of Stan's Contracting install a mounting for a projection screen in Classroom 202 at Wai'anae High School. The classroom was one of several used by ninth-graders that was damaged in the fire on April 1, 2004. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Although moving into the portables and ordering new equipment has been a hassle, overall it has not been a bad experience, Yamamoto said.

"It was not that big of a deal," she said. "I feel sorrier for the people on Kaua'i. It was rough, especially since they found out it was arson," she said. "That's nuts for them."

The DOE was lucky that portables were readily available after the Wai'anae fire, even though there was still a six- to eight-week wait to have them shipped from the Mainland. In the Kala-

heo situation, the portables have to be built on O'ahu and shipped to Kaua'i. That process has already started.

"The lesson learned in Wai'anae is if we don't have portables ready, we'll really have to cross our fingers that they will be available," Chun said.

Chun said Rae Loui, the DOE's assistant superintendent in charge of business services, would rather see the DOE take a more proactive approach. The department orders about 20 portables a year to deal with overcrowding, and a solution might be to order five per quarter to make sure they are always available in emergency situations, he said.

The DOE is trying to fast-track the Kalaheo construction. The DOE and DAGS have already met with insurance adjusters to determine what will be covered. The portables will be on Kaua'i by the end of summer, but "I don't expect construction will be started for a couple months," Chun said.

Kalaheo was able to deal with the loss of classrooms by teaching in the library, moving a Headstart class to a church and doubling up smaller classes, but Burkman looks forward to the arrival of portable trailers.

"We're anticipating kicking off the school year in August with replacement of all of our burned-down facilities," he said.