Maui schools to benefit from $75M

Gov. Linda Lingle late last week released $75 million meant to help fix up many of Hawaii's public school buildings.

Nearly every one of Maui County's more than 30 grade K-12 schools will get a piece of the district's nearly $14 million share of the fiscal year 2010 spending.

The 126 projects - which the state Legislature and Department of Education approved earlier this year - vary in price range from $656,000 to install an air conditioning system in Maui High School to $8,000 for additional electrical outlets at King Kekaulike High School.

"I'm trying to find out more information about this now but what I'm hearing from some of the school people is that because of Furlough Fridays (the state staff reduction plan to help close the $800 million state budget deficit) there isn't enough people around to get some of these projects done for a while," said state Sen. Shan Tsutsui, a Democrat who represents Kahakuloa, Wailuku,Waikapu, Kahului and Paia.

He said a number of the projects can be done by school maintenance staff and not just private contractors.

"It's penny-wise and pound foolish," Tsutsui said of Furlough Fridays.

Here's some of the other larger projects included in the capital improvement list:

* $368,000 to renovate restrooms at Lahainaluna High School.

* About $300,000 for fire alarms at Lahaina Intermediate School.

* $690,000 to repair the roof and replace the fire alarm at Baldwin High School.

* $362,000 to renovate the home economics room at Kalama Intermediate School.

* $567,000 to replace fire alarms at Kihei Elementary School.

* $518,000 to replace the roof at Lanai High and Elementary School.

Other projects include new ceiling fans, doors, sidewalks, ramps, window screens and drinking fountains as well as fixing termite damage and upgrading electrical, irrigation and plumbing systems.

This summer, the Republican governor also released another $22.2 million for similar statewide public school campus improvements.