The state Department of Education will receive an additional $160 million for classroom renovations and $50 million for other school repairs next fiscal year as state lawmakers try to put a dent into a vexing backlog of maintenance projects at public schools.

The money, agreed to last night by state House and Senate budget negotiators, is much higher than what Gov. Linda Lingle recommended in her budget and reflects the commitment among Democratic leaders to make school repair and maintenance a priority for the state's budget surplus this session.

"The funding package for education will be one of the centerpieces," said state Rep. Dwight Takamine, D-1st (N. Hilo, Hamakua, N. Kohala), chairman of the House Finance Committee.

School repair money had been a point of controversy at the beginning of the session when the Lingle administration and Republicans suggested the department was not spending the money the state had already provided for maintenance projects quickly enough. Lingle had proposed $40 million in cash and another $23 million in capital improvement money for school repairs.

State schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto said the classroom money agreed to last night would go toward significant renovations at 96 schools. The repair money would go to more specific needs, such as fixing roofs and other building improvements. Lawmakers also provided other money in the construction budget for projects at individual schools.

"This is a clear statement that the state of Hawai'i cares about the learning facilities and the school environment of our children," Hamamoto said.

But state Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawai'i Kai), said Democrats continue to give more money to public education without demanding accountability. "The educational bureaucratic abyss has swallowed up the surplus," he said.

Budget negotiators finished work on the supplemental budget last night, which will help other conferees complete their discussions on bills that have a financial component over the next few days. House and Senate leaders will now plot the state's financial plan over the next several years and decide whether to approve tax relief or other ideas that might draw down state revenue.

The budget contains the second $20 million of a two-year, $40 million appropriation for harbor improvements for the Hawai'i Superferry. State Sen. Shan Tsutsui, D-4th (Kahului), and other Neighbor Island senators had wanted to reduce the money if Superferry executives did not do more to answer public concerns about the impact of the project on the environment and harbor traffic.

Superferry executives said they have been seeking more community input and told lawmakers they needed the full amount to launch ferry service between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i in 2007. Ferry service is scheduled to expand to the Big Island in 2009.

Lawmakers from the Leeward Coast were relieved after learning that $17 million in state bonds and $68 million in federal money was left intact for the North-South Road between Kapolei Parkway and the H-1 Freeway. House negotiators had thought about taking the money out of the budget. "It would have been a tragedy if the road was not in the final budget," said state Rep. Kymberly Pine, R-43rd ('Ewa Beach, Pu'uloa, Iroquois Point).

Other lawmakers were disappointed the budget did not include $33.5 million in bond money proposed by Lingle for the development of a University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu campus. "I'm very happy that we were able to fund the North-South Road, but the big loser was UH-West O'ahu," said state Sen. Will Espero, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Waipahu).

Budget negotiators approved $1 million to help with the potential condemnation and purchase of Hawai'i Raceway Park, which closed this month, leaving racers and fans no place to enjoy motorsports on O'ahu.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.