Posted on: Tuesday, May 24, 2005
EDITORIAL
School repairs demand a consistent approach
The state has again turned down the heat in its mission to reduce the backlog of school repair jobs, judging by the reduction in funds made available to do the job. What's needed instead of this on-again, off-again approach is a comprehensive plan that provides regular, predictable funding that would enable education officials to prioritize repairs and meet their goals.
Department of Education officials say they need $100 million annually to maintain a schedule of needed repairs at 280 schools but only received $75 million in the current allotment from lawmakers. This follows a fat, election-year budget grant of $123.3 million in 2004, and another lean appropriation of $57.7 million the year before. In the previous election year, 2002, the payout was, by contrast, quite generous: $142.7 million.
That inconsistent and painfully political budgeting pattern makes it difficult to plan in any meaningful way.
Schools are certainly not the only public institutions to suffer from inconsistent repair and maintenance. Honolulu's crippled sewer system is another case in point. The price to be paid for deferred maintenance is deterioration that will only fester and become far more expensive, if not utterly unaffordable.
Where schools are concerned, it's good to hear that planners are looking for ways to stretch available dollars. Efforts must be redoubled to ensure efficiency in how the money is spent in the coming year.
Safety, of course, must top that list. The ceiling collapse at Kailua Intermediate School in January resulted in state inspections of school roofs to prevent a recurrence, and officials have pledged to keep up with roof repairs. Recent asbestos problems on some campuses also underscore another critical safety issue.
Keeping our campuses clean and safe are crucial to better learning. On the flip side, chronically coming up short on school maintenance shows we don't value education sufficiently. And that's precisely the wrong message to send to our children. Moreover, it's impossible to proceed on major renovations when nobody can predict from one year to the next whether the money will be there to complete them.
A comprehensive, measured and consistent approach can help keep us on track and deliver better facilities where the aims of public education become possible. Our students deserve at least that much.
