The Department of Education's new construction budget seeks $75 million next year to provide electrical upgrades in 118 schools — the first step toward air-conditioning some of the state's hottest and oldest classrooms.

The money is part of an overall $743 million, two-year preliminary construction budget request that's more modest than the last one. Among its other first-year priorities are $114 million for the construction or planning of three new schools and $75 million for repairs and maintenance at schools statewide.

Money for the new schools includes $67 million in construction funds for 'Ewa Makai Middle School, $42.9 million in construction funds for Wailuku II Elementary on Maui and $4 million in planning money for Kapolei II Elementary.

The budget request has not yet been approved by the Board of Education's budget and fiscal accountability committee and has far to go for final approval and submission to the Legislature.

However, it points to a major initiative by the DOE to bring down the heat in public school classrooms that parents, students, teachers and officials say impedes learning.

The issue of heat in the classroom was especially acute this year with the new uniform school calendar bringing classes at all regular public schools back into session at the end of July.

In one 'Ewa Beach School in early August, the mercury hit 89 degrees in one of the hottest classrooms just after lunch and students were being encouraged to bring bottles of water to school with them.

"This is an attempt to get electrical improvements into schools, which will then accommodate air conditioning," assistant superintendent Randy Moore told a board committee yesterday.

Moore, who heads the Office of Business Services, said "unless we get ahead of the electrical needs we won't be able to provide air conditioning."

The department's suggested $75 million for electrical upgrades in fiscal 2008 compares to $2 million allotted this fiscal year. They're also looking at $5 million in fiscal 2009 and more than $10 million each year for the four years after that.

The Legislature also has recognized the need to retrofit and then air-condition schools. The $2 million allotted last year to begin central air-conditioning the state's hottest schools was increased to $10 million this year.

Overall the DOE is looking at a capital improvement budget of $389 million for 2008 and $354 million for 2009. That compares to a total request for the previous biennium of $828, or $427 million for 2005-06 and $401 million for 2006-07.

The Legislature was generous last year, funding $410 million in capital improvement projects that included $160 million to directly renovate the remaining almost 100 older schools that needed their facilities upgraded, as well as $75 million in repair and maintenance projects to pare down the more than $525 million backlog.

That's part of the reason requests could come down slightly this year, said Duane Kashiwai, public works manager in the facilities development branch.

"That was a huge infusion, the $160 million, and that will also help reduce the backlog," said Kashiwai.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.