Which Hawaii Schools Are Badly In Need Of An Extreme Makeover?
Heavy rain and strong winds.
That’s all it took to turn the roof of Farrington High School’s auditorium one afternoon last November — that, and , of course.
No one was hurt, but it got us thinking. Who’s to say something similar — or something worse — won’t happen in the future?
The incident prompted the state Department of Education to order the inspection of all school buildings comparable to the auditorium. But that could take time.
And the effort only scrapes the surface of a much deeper concern: many, if not most, of Hawaii’s school facilities are in need of a serious makeover.
Not all of the aging facilities pose safety hazards, but there’s no doubt they somehow interfere with students’ learning experiences.
From overheated classrooms to moldy walls and rusty water fountains, all of the state’s 257 schools have at least something that needs tending to.
And that’s not surprising considering most of the schools are at least 50 years old.
Some have already celebrated their 100th anniversaries.
The DOE is well aware of the problem. It generates on the status of millions of dollars worth of repair and maintenance projects, many of which remain on an ever-growing backlog.
Put simply, what the DOE lacks is funding. Moreover, a number of lawmakers have criticized how the department prioritizes projects.
Last November, Gov. Neil Abercrombie released $10.4 million for various capital improvement projects to select schools. It remains to be seen where the next round of capital improvement funds will go.
We want to know what you think the money should be spent on.
Tell us about the schools in your area, and send us pictures if you have them. Are there problems that just never seem to get fixed? What improvements could be made? Do you notice differences in the quality of school facilities from neighborhood to neighborhood?
Share your thoughts below or send ideas and examples to awong@civilbeat.com. Don’t forget the photos! We’ll take it up with the DOE and see what it will take to get problems fixed.
