The repair and maintenance backlog at the state's public schools has fallen from $720 million in 2001 to $412 million today and would have been reduced further if not for the state's slowing economy.

The Lingle administration has declined to release $140 million in cash for school repair projects because of concerns about slowing state revenue growth. The cash, however, has been converted to bond financing and could still be put to use on projects over the next few years.

The state Department of Education will soon meet with the state Department of Budget and Finance on how to start spending the $66 million in bonds for repair and maintenance and $100 million in bonds for classroom renovations that state lawmakers approved for next fiscal year.

The administration has the discretion on how to release the money, and the pace of spending may depend on the latest forecast by the state Council on Revenues, which is expected this afternoon. The council may again lower projections for revenue growth given the monthly revenue figures since the last forecast in March.

"The economic climate has had an impact on where we're at," said Duane Kashiwai, public works manager in the DOE's facilities development branch.

Georgina Kawamura, the state's budget director, said an education-reform law passed in 2004 has led to annual agreements on school capital improvement project priorities. The DOE generally works off the priority list unless there are pressing health and safety concerns.

Kashiwai, speaking to state lawmakers yesterday at an informational briefing, said more than half of the department's schools are more than 50 years old. Older schools, he said, require more money to maintain than newer schools.

The repair and maintenance backlog, which had become a significant issue at the Legislature a few years ago, was on a downward trend until 2006, when the administration began restricting the release of some of the money because of the economy.

State Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake), chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he would have preferred that the state reduce the backlog lower but he understands the economic concerns. The department needs about $50 million to $75 million annually to keep pace with repairs and prevent the backlog from growing.

"I would have rather, by now, been at a steady-state position," he said. "But I'm a realist, we're where we're at, so let's just continue to try to get it to a steady-state position."