Starting this winter, the state plans to kick off a decadelong, $100 million modernization project to bring Farrington High — one of the state’s largest and most dilapidated campuses — into the 21st century, tackle more than $40 million in backlogged repairs and tailor its facilities to meet the demands of modern students.

The massive, multi-phase pilot project is seen as a new and potentially less expensive way to approach the growing problem of aging schools. Rather than making repairs piecemeal or building an entire new high school, something seen as next to impossible in urban Honolulu, the Farrington modernization is designed as a top-to-bottom renovation that focuses redesign work around educational goals.

The project doesn’t just bundle the long list of what Farrington High needs replaced or updated into one project, Department of Education planners say, but also reflects what faculty, residents and students want to see at the school.

The Department of Education also hired a consultant to talk to a number of stakeholders, and the result was a plan for creating a collegiate feel at Farrington, where each classroom wing will hold a "smaller learning community" dedicated to an area of study (such as business or health care professions) and where cars will be restricted to the campus periphery, allowing students more green space.

The DOE notes that much of the work will center on updating and renovating existing buildings. Of the 250,000 square feet of physical improvements proposed for Farrington, about a third calls for new construction. Among the new buildings planned are a new parking structure, student center and fitness center.

Alan Oshima, a 1965 Farrington graduate who is on the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs board of directors, was involved as a community member in the work to help come up with ideas for the future of Farrington. He said the underlying question behind the modernization is, "What is really needed for student achievement?"

"The school facility can really become the launch pad for a lot of great things," Oshima said, adding that there was also an interest in making Farrington a gathering place for the community. "The need for air conditioning, broadband (Internet), community spaces … all of those demand a different kind of facility," he said.

Ronald Oyama, vice principal of Farrington, who oversees facilities, said the modernization project is sorely needed for a school, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, that struggles daily with everything from big roof leaks to inadequate electrical power. "The facilities are so old," he said. "It’s just falling apart."

The modernization plan will require continued legislative funding support, something not necessarily guaranteed given the tough budget times. The state has enough money — about $2.5 million — for the first part of phase one, which is set to start in December and will involve work to renovate a 14-classroom wing.

But last legislative session, when the Department of Education asked for an additional $30 million for the current and upcoming fiscal years, lawmakers OK’d $5 million for the upcoming fiscal year only (and nothing for this fiscal year). The DOE will go back to legislators in the 2012 session to ask for another $10 million.

Randy Moore, DOE assistant superintendent for facilities, said the Farrington modernization is being seen as a model, especially for other large, old high school campuses in the urban core. He acknowledged that wide-scale modernization work will mean a state investment of hundreds of millions of dollars over decades.

The department hopes to start similar work at another high school, likely in urban Honolulu, in five years. There are 33 high schools statewide, seven of which are in the Honolulu District. The newest high school in the state is Kapolei, built in 2000.

Moore said though the price tag for modernizing Hawaii’s high schools will be considerable, there are few alternatives. Tearing down a school, he said, "is not an option" in the urban core because there would be no place for students during construction. Building a new school is also unfeasible in developed areas.

The modernization model, he added, is more than just renovation and repair projects. "It’s really taking our educational infrastructure and bringing it into the 21st century," he said, adding that there are a host of Hawaii schools — especially high schools — with a "considerable amount of obsolescence on them."

More than half of Hawaii’s public schools are more than 50 years old, and 16 percent were built more than a century ago. The oldest campuses — and the biggest repairs backlog — can be found in the Honolulu District, the DOE said.

Old schools mean bigger maintenance needs. But they also struggle to meet the learning requirements of modern students, when old electrical systems can’t handle higher energy demands or communication lines can’t deliver high-speed Internet.

The Farrington pilot comes as DOE officials grow increasingly worried about the needs of an aging inventory, and as they continue work to chip away at backlogged repair needs. Last year, there were $392 million in backlogged repairs at schools statewide, down 46 percent from 2001, when the total was $720 million.

Moore said Farrington was chosen for the pilot because of its age, size — it’s the second-largest high school in the state — and long list of needed repairs. The school has had no major renovations in decades and there are 91 backlogged maintenance projects at the campus. Those include $12 million for work on the athletics complex and for demolishing a pool that was shut down years ago, $10 million for air conditioning and $8 million for a new athletics locker room for girls.

All of those projects were included in the modernization plan, though there’s no time line for any of the work beyond the initial phase set to start in December and last about a year. That project will cost about $2.5 million and include renovating a 14-classroom wing that will be the "smaller learning community" for students interested in law and justice. The new wing will feature a forensics lab and classrooms with movable dividers so multiple classes can merge into one.

Subsequent work on the 26-acre Kalihi campus will focus on putting in more environmentally friendly features, installing more green spaces, shade trees and pedestrian walkways and installing an ampitheater where students could congregate.

Farrington Principal Al Carganilla said students were key to coming up with the plans for the revamped campus. "If you look at our designs, there’s really the feel of student ownership," said Carganilla, a 1986 Farrington High graduate. "The whole thought about it was really personalizing instruction for our kids."

Carganilla said many are looking forward to the new Farrington, especially its students who have a lot of pride in the school despite its run-down appearance.

He added the school tries to make sure ongoing facilities problems don’t cut into student learning. But that’s tough when students are constantly having to move because of major maintenance problems in classrooms or when kids can hardly hear their teachers over the traffic noise from the H-1 freeway, which is adjacent to the campus.

Recently, an elevated walkway leading up to the school’s gym and physical education offices was nearly condemned, a part of the roof in a classroom wing fell down after heavy rains and an asbestos scare forced emergency abatement work.

"I don’t know how our kids do it," said Carganilla. "They just kind of put it aside."

FARRINGTON HIGH MODERNIZATION

» Cost: About $100 million

» Duration: Ten years

» Scope of work: A top-to-bottom renovation aimed at tackling tens of millions of dollars in backlogged repairs and designing the school around student-learning needs. As part of the project, the school’s historic pool will be demolished to put in a parking structure, an ampitheater and green space will be installed, and a fitness center and student union building will be constructed.

» Start date: Work on the first part of phase one will begin in December and last about a year. The $2.5 million project involves the renovation of a 14-classroom building, which will feature a state-of-the-art forensics lab. The total modernization project has three phases (all of which will likely have several parts), but a final time line for all the work has not yet been developed.

Source: Department of Education