It was taken over a long time ago by a superintendent who decided they should take that responsibility and it's just this legacy since then. It really should be belong somewhere else. >> So again, uh DOE taking on areas that they really shouldn't be taking on. >> Yeah, this was like two superintendent ago that took it on and it should be somewhere else. But it seems like that's a that's a pattern with DOE wanting to help, wanting to, you know, I'm not trying to be crit criticizing in the sense that it's bad, but it really doesn't at the end of the day, we're we're not helping the situation by trying to take it over and not being able to do a good job about it and not having the right personnel to do it. >> There's no scale. >> Yes. >> So, it's just one person, a revolving position that's not permanent, >> right?
who just does that with the 55 cottages. It's a really difficult situation. >> So, as far as though besides the cottages, is there uh in the marketplace, private marketplace? I mean, everybody's >> Yeah, these are remote areas where no developer would be interested in building. There's no many options. The best is someone with a house who has a room that's willing to lend it to. >> Even if we gave them a voucher, they wouldn't >> be hard for them to >> for the remote areas. >> Absolutely. Yes. >> And how many units at Milani you folks are building? >> Well, >> or >> there are 95 units planned, but we will line up with liked public housing financing affordability like everybody else. Without a significant state site bin, it is a challenging to build because affordable housing doesn't pencil out which I've been told many times.
[laughter] >> Questions. >> Okay. Maybe if we freed up some money, we could have it. Maybe if we get our >> any amount would help to push it along. >> Medicaid reimbursements, we could have some more money. But >> okay, push it. Wait. You done? Okay. Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? Any other questions? If not, okay. >> House Bill 2345, House draft 1, relating to school facilities. We should have kept these people up here. requires the school facilities authority to establish geographically based capital improvement project district for the localized management of deferred maintenance transfers um all deferred maintenance functions funds and vacant facility development branch positions from the department of education to the school facilities authority and kayashi [clears throat] >> good afternoon chair senator Senators Jesse Suki, Deputy Superintendent of Operations for the Department of Education. We rise in opposition to this bill. We submitted testimony and will rest on that.
But just sort of um summary, uh the department's deferred maintenance program is organized around geographically based school districts. Uh supported by the facilities maintenance branch on Aahu and uh DAGs on the neighbor islands. We have district project coordinators that serve the school-f facing extensions of the department providing on the ground coordination and responsiveness um in the areas um where they are employed. >> Thank you BOE here in the comments. Stacy Aldrich. Am I the right? >> I'm sorry. I'm on the wrong tag. >> I'm one one below. Sorry. [laughter] >> Keith Reagan didn't mean to scare you guys. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Keith Reagan from DS. Ricky. >> Thank you. Ricky Fuji County School Facilities Authority. We offer comments that the right structure is decentralization and localization. The idea is one level of accountability to someone living in the district. Give them in the private sector.
We call it P&L responsibility, profit and loss. We give that same budgetary person to the person on Kawaii, Maui, Big Island. They can make the decision right there whether to expend funds if something is broken. One level of accountability. decentralization is the right model for the structure. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh Joy Bulisan for FLCIO HGA here. Um Kamaka Kaimoa WPW testifying comments. Ted man in support. Anyone else wishing to testify on House Bill 2345?
Hearing none members questions. Okay, I do have questions. Who shall I start with? How about we start with Dewey? So, you know, we've been talking about CIP from DOE for a while now, and I don't see anything that DOE has really submitted to us to show us that you have a handle on all of this. So, can you you know I mean I I just read what you said to to civil beat that um this bill really is a solution without a problem or one of these CIP bills. Um and that the department already has a software needed to track quality and funding of facilities said deputy superintendent Jesse Suki and able to oversee its deferred maintenance projects to managers working on in China. Yet we are bombarded with these kinds of measures, bills, calls. People are upset that things are not getting done. We have backlogs.
I mean, you haven't even provided me with updated lists that we can look at. So, I don't know how you can make these statements when we're still in disarray. >> So, it's a big problem. And I think we we all know that. >> But you said it's not a problem. [laughter] Well, I think there's no solution without a problem until you acknowledge it's a problem. I don't know that we're kind of we have we can deal with it and then you come and you don't give us all the numbers and stuff. >> So, that that was I think from one of the hearings on a on a bill. I I can't recall which bill it was, but um there are four over 4,000 facilities. The the facilities are old. what I was talking about when I say that, you know, we have a handle on it.
We're working on it is that, you know, we have the list of deferred maintenance. We shared that with your office today. Um we're specifically talking about deferred maintenance. Now, um those lists are known. um they worked on with um our office at OO and the complex area superintendent on and principles on prioritizing which one of those during any budget cycle, you know, is going to rise to the top of the list. You know, we apply the equitable approach that the board has as a policy so that we're spending about equally in all of the areas. And based on that, we ask for a budget appropriation according to our six-year plan that we submit to the legislature, which is about 200 million for deferred maintenance. Um, every year in the last plan, we submitted October 2025. >> How much did you submit for? >> That's um this one, >> the latest one that for this budget, how much did you how much is it the bottom line that you're asking for?
So for fiscal year 27 um we planned uh 200 billion and then 28 29 200 million 200 million and then fiscal year 30 and 31 150 million each and that's in our sixyear um program. So for the um deferred maintenance um it's a 200 million and it's um described in our our plan. So those are um prioritize the deferred maintenance list among the different um schools and districts and then we um ask for an appropriation uh based on that. Whether or not we get it to do those projects um depends on the cycle. So, >> so what is the total uh reported backlog of your CIPs >> of the just the deferred maintenance >> CIP the CIP funds? What is the reported backlog? So it's it's difficult to answer that question because it really depends on what we're looking at and what we measuring. So >> okay, let's make it simple.
DOE unspent CIP funds. >> Unspent. So, for fiscal year 27 supplemental CIP budget, um we have 784 million approximately that we're spending on and that's in our um capital improvement project budget that we submit to the to the board and we break that down in our budget ask that the board approved um for fiscal year 2027. That's a supplemental budget that we're asking for. And when you look at um deferred maintenance, you know, we are we're asking for the 200 million and whether or not we get that, you know, that's that's another another question. I can provide this to you, but it's online. >> So, what is the obligated CIP funds total? >> Obligated >> CIP funds. >> I can get that to you. I don't have that in front of me. >> [sighs] >> There is that outstanding request we have from you um that we working on asking you right now.
What is the obligated CIP funds? >> Okay, we'll get that to you. I think it's >> about 1 072 million. I mean it's interesting how I get these numbers and you don't. And then the unspent DOE cip 2.7 million billion I'm sorry 2.7 billion. Thank you. Okay. So the obligated is yeah billions. Yeah we can confirm that for you. I'm not sure where those numbers are coming from but we can we've got the list that um you've asked us to provide. We're working with your office. You should get that on Monday. that's um staff has been going through that and that tells the obligated and >> as a snapshot >> you're making a case that we should not be taking this away then we need to feel confident that you folks know exactly how much where we're at what you're doing about it but you you can't even provide that information to us when we ask and you know I'm asking questions that I probably already know the answer and if I know the answer then why don't you know the answer >> because we want to be precise precise and the numbers.
>> I'm not asking for precise. I'm asking for an idea whether it's 1.7 billion or 2.3 billion. Give us give me some idea. So maybe you're saying just two billion, but give me an idea. Where are we at? >> I I don't want to throw out numbers. I'm sorry. I want to be precise. We're providing you with the worksheets you wanted and that'll have precise numbers as that snapshot in time. Can you >> I mean, you hire people supposedly that can deal with all of this. So, I'm just asking that when you you guys know the bills, you're making a case, you have your testimony, you're opposing it, which is fine, but give us reasons why we should keep it with you, you know, and if you come without the numbers, if you come without giving us all of this stuff, then we're not going to we're not going to support what you're telling us.
you got to give us reasons to do this and if and we don't we don't have a lot of time for you keep coming back to us and we've gone back and forth I know my staff has gone back and forth it's taken a lot of time to just get stuff so it's it's it's very frustrating and you know I'm I I'm trying not to come down and and and and but I it's to the point where come on we're talking about billions of dollars here Right. And all we all we ask is that you give us the information and you should have this information. >> Um Senator, if my correct me if I'm wrong if I'm if I'm understanding correctly, Senator, um your staff has been working with our with uh Deputy Suki's office and um the what was requested of us. I believe we did provide the information and the request subsequently might have changed.
So we are working we'll get that most current request okay to Senator Kim's office by Monday. >> Okay. Well when things change you know from the time we spoke with you till now it didn't change that much. So what are the numbers you told us then then? Where where's that? >> I mean yes you gave it to us but can you tell for the public? >> I I that you can't you can't you're not ready for it. >> Okay. Questions? Senator, >> so I guess when you [clears throat] when you talk about these district level project coordinators, right? What what what is the vision and what and you you say they have it under control, but I guess what is the ultimate goal, you know, of where you guys want to be? what what is what is the metric that you're going to use to to make sure that there is some type of improvement from this year or past years into the future so that we we understand collectively what the definition of success is maybe we'll start from there >> well we have a there's a lot of projects >> no I know there's a lot of projects I think I think what when you when we turn all these numbers what I what we got to grasp especially that 200 million I I'll let you finish but with that 200 million what we really need to understand is what can you actually spend you can ask for 200 million if we give you 200 million million.
I don't know if you can actually spend the 200 million, right? But but factor that in to your response, >> right? So what what we can spend is what we request in our our budget. And so that is in the board approved budget that uh >> you think you can spend 200 million? >> Well, we have the projects itemized in here about what we're doing and over the course of the bienium, we can spend, you know, if we're appropriated, we can spend it on the projects that we've identified. >> But I guess the question is is with these district coordinators, are are they what is the timeline of them? Yes, you might have the money, but then what is what is the timeline for them to actually expend the money right out the door? Not just encumber expend and and the project completed because I'm sure you know when when we start to give you 200 million 200 million at some point they're just going to have too many projects.
And so that's what we're trying to understand. When are you going to get a handle on what is it that we can actually get through the system in a timely manner and what what are those metrics that we should be able to see over a course of a period of time so that we have some level of confidence that things are are flowing right and I know I know you have your challenges with with personnel. >> Yes, challenging u so the projects we've identified are the projects we plan that we can complete. That's why we're asking for funding for these particular projects. And then you know through the sess legislative session there are other add-ons and changes and so then we have to reassess what we can can do at the outcome of the legislative session. Um but we we are confident about the projects we identify that we can >> so so why is the chair bringing up such a high unspent balance then?
because we're we're looking at and that's why I'm hesitant to provide just numbers off the top of my head. Um because I'm responsible, you know, I I don't know where the other numbers come from, but I'm responsible. So, I cannot just put numbers off the top of my head, but there's different ways of looking at it. There's these old projects that were sort of line items that are collection of projects that are um you know in different phases of uh planning and no money for construction yet and um you know or you know can't be completed yet need completion funds and that that's the table that the staff is putting together or put together and you know >> and that's great. I I think having that data is good, but I think what what I personally I can't speak for the rest of the members.
What I personally would like to see is what is your timeline on cleaning that all up? I understand that you're new to this, but great now that you can look at a new set of eyes, but what is the timeline of us closing those discrepancies, right? And and making sure that okay, there's we're all going to be clear. This is the number. This is how it's derived. Whatever numbers are out there, you have to debunk that those numbers are wrong or else we're going to believe what people are going to tell us, right? But you got to be clear on how we're going to get to that. >> I agree. And these are these are the projects of the highest need identified by the department working with the schools. >> No, I understand moving forward what you're going to need. But I think what we're we're really asking is do we have the handle on all the unspent funds, >> right?
Because what we would love to you to say is okay, there is no unspent funds. It's all spent. >> But I don't know if we can say that at this point. Right. >> Right. And so if we're talking about unspent funds, then we're talking about appropriations that have been made that we are currently putting into contracts to get projects done. So we are on course to um get all of our money into contracts. So we have very minimal laps um moving forward for the projects that are identified. So you know we are comfortable with those. So that's a different question from this backlog um of projects and it's a different question from um you know if we had all the money in the world and we fixed everything how much you know could we deferred maintenance in a in a larger you know way. No, I I get it.
And I I think what it's a level of confidence, right? Because if we know if there's a level of confidence that things can get done, I think I think then the the whole point is that we will fight to get you more money, but if there's a level of confidence that it's going to drag out and out and out, right? Then we're just going to keep waiting and we're going to be like, okay, well, we can wait till next year and then and it's a snowball effect, right? So, I think >> getting the correct information to me is really critical because then we can we can say your numbers are solid, right? And I don't know if we're at that point. And I think that was the whole point of a lot of these bills is that we just need to we need to clean this all up.