School Project Priorities

Some principals wonder why legislators don't follow DOE lists

By MELISSA TANJI
Staff Writer

The Maui News
Saturday, June 21, 2003

WAILUKU — Some Maui District public school principals are disappointed their schools were left out when the state Legislature allocated funds for school projects.

"It's not OK. It has been passed up," Lokelani Intermediate Principal Marion Muller said about projects needed at her campus.

The capital improvements wish list for the South Maui campus included a classroom building and an administration/library building with a joint-use library — all of which were on the Department of Education's list of priority projects. Neither was funded by the Legislature.

For Muller, and for principals across the state, funding for campus improvements can be a source of continuing frustration involving a process that has legislators making decisions that aren't based on what the DOE has listed as priorities.

Among the millions of dollars in projects funded in the state biennium budget, some school projects are what the DOE requested but some aren't. Some are what school administrators consider priorities, but other priorities aren't funded.

Maui Sen. J. Kalani English, who represents Upcountry, East Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, says the DOE list does not include all of the projects considered to be priorities by the individual schools or the public school community. He said the DOE priority list is not considered a comprehensive guide to what legislators should support.

The DOE uses a formula to establish the priority of projects for all schools in the state. Sometimes, English said, constituents in his district tell him they have not been able to get their projects on the DOE priority list.

But in funding projects that are not from the DOE list, legislators have opened themselves to criticism for failing to follow recommendations of the DOE or the Department of Accounting and General Services.

Conversely, even if a project is funded in the Legislature's version of the state budget, it doesn't mean it will be built. Gov. Linda Lingle has the prerogative of withholding a legislative appropriation, particularly when the state is facing a revenue shortfall.

Russell Pang, chief of media relations for the governor, said on Tuesday that Lingle hasn't taken action yet on the biennial budget and "everything is still under review." She has indicated she will veto about 50 measures approved by the Legislature but the overall budget isn't likely to be among them.

Lingle would not need to veto construction projects. She has authority to simply not release funds for projects that she considers to be unwarranted.

"It's not unusual for governors to take the position Linda is taking, Governor Ben (Cayetano) took the same position; he didn't want to fund legislators' (appropriated projects)," said Rep. Joe Souki.

Souki said if it were up to him, he would have legislators and representatives of the DOE try to arrive at some kind of compromise, "rather than strike it out."

But compromising on what funded projects will be built does nothing for school principals who had projects that weren't funded at all.

Muller is especially disappointed that her school did not get funds for a new classroom building.

"What we had to do in the past couple of years is share the classroom," she said, with teachers moving from classroom to classroom with every change in period.

"It's hard for teachers to do that," she said.

At Lanai High and Elementary School, Principal Pierce Myers said a classroom building project was also passed up.

"We do need those classrooms. We are really in a pinch for classroom space," he said.

Myers said the campus was built for 450 students in grades kindergarten to 12. Enrollment is approaching 700 students.

"There is a real squeeze for space," he said, noting his teachers also are forced to move from room to room for different class periods.

"It put teachers and students in circumstances less than ideal," he said.

Overcrowding is a problem for schools around Maui County. To deal with the overcrowding situation in Central Maui, Rep. Bob Nakasone and Sen. Shan Tsutsui pushed for funding for a Maui Lani Elementary School, a project that is on the DOE priority projects list.

Tsutsui said he and Nakasone, whose districts include Kahului and Wailuku, persuaded their colleagues in the Legislature to allot $25 million to build an elementary school in the Maui Lani project.

"It was a priority on the DOE list," Tsutsui said. "We listened to the DOE and the Board of Education, that (the school) was the priority."

He said he saw his job in the Legislature as securing the funds for the district he represents. With the funding allotted by the Legislature for a private builder to design and build the school, it should be open by 2005, assuming the funds are not held up by the governor.

Nakasone, a veteran lawmaker, said he used to tour the schools by himself to see what projects were needed in his district. But he said he now goes out with the staff from the DAGS facilities division and the principals to identify the needs of each school.

"No question every school or school district" has needs that aren't necessarily in line with priorities determined by the DOE, he said.

One Maui school was funded for a project that was not on the DOE priority list. Lahainaluna High School was provided $2 million for an athletic locker room.

Rep. Brian Blundell, who represents the West Maui district, said he was pleased the Legislature appropriated funds for the locker room, saying the existing facility is showing its age.

"It's sort of a locker room in a sense. It's really old, the building is not in good shape. The plumbing is not good either," he said.

Sen. Roz Baker, whose 5th District includes West and South Maui, said there was a previous allocation for the Lahainaluna project, but it wasn't enough to complete the locker room.

"Let's finish up the projects that we have," Baker said.

She said there is a reason for legislative intervention that circumvents DOE priorities. While it is always helpful to be on the DOE's list, legislators sometimes feel projects that are important to the community are left off.

The Baldwin High School gymnasium, Princess Nahienaena Elementary's cafeteria and Lahaina Intermediate School's cafeteria were funded by the Legislature but hadn't been DOE priorities, she said.

"None of those projects would have been built," she said.

Blundell called the locker room appropriations "a good choice" by the legislators but said he would prefer to follow the DOE's priority list.

"One of the things I'm concerned, I'd really feel strongly we should allow the DOE to prioritize their projects rather than us legislators circumventing their priority list," Blundell said.

It would require legislators to cooperate with the DOE.

"It would only work if every legislator did that. I'm not sure how many of my colleagues would agree with that," Blundell said.

Lanai Principal Myers said he'd hope legislators would let the department that is running the schools determine priorities for the schools.

"There needs to be one source for the decision making," he said.

But English said a legislator's job is to "allocate monies."

"In a constitutional republic, it is very clear the legislative branch allocates money," he said. As elected officials, legislators are responsible for determining what projects are worthy of funding.

At the same time, English said he has supported projects on the DOE priority list that didn't make it out of the legislative process.

King Kekaulike High School Principal Susan Scofield said she empathizes with those making the allocations.

Her school did not get funding for a new classroom building on the DOE priority list, but she said she recognizes that there is not enough money to address all the facilities' needs.

"Someone has to make the hard decisions. Because many of the projects listed would benefit the kids," she said.

Other school principals whose projects on the priority list were not funded said the projects — classroom buildings, libraries and administration buildings — have been on the DOE list for quite a while. Some cited improvements that are needed to provide an adequate learning environment.

Lahaina Intermediate Principal Marsha Nakamura said the school was hoping to get a library building that would also serve as a computer lab. The library now is in a double classroom, as is the administration building.

"We've been here for over 25 years and we don't have an administration building, we don't have a library," she said.

With the classroom being used as a computer lab, the electrical system can't handle two air conditioners and the computers at the same time. Nakamura said it "gets really hot in there."

"We have two air conditioners in there, but only one functions because we don't have enough electrical input," she said.

If both air conditioners are turned on, the circuit breakers knock out power for the building.

Hana High and Elementary School was provided funding for a project on the DOE priority list, $3 million for a classroom building, but didn't get the administration building it also has on the list.

Principal Melanie Coates said the school needs the classroom space. Class lists now are set up based on the number of students that will fit in rooms that were converted from other uses.

Coates said it's not OK to her that the administration building was denied, but she also appreciates that students' needs come first.

Other school officials, who declined to comment on the record, said the legislative process requires school leaders to "play politics."

That perception may apply even for projects that are funded since Lingle will have the last word on what funds are released.

"I think until she really releases the funds on the project, I think every project has a potential of not being funded," Tsutsui said. "Hopefully the governor will just realize the importance of some of these projects."

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