The University of Hawai'i wants to spend $45 million to construct a bigger, better building over the charred remains of a multipurpose Laboratory School structure lost to fire in June, according to a preliminary budget request submitted to the Board of Regents yesterday.

The news comes a day after Lab School officials met with parents Thursday night for the first time since the school year began, saying they are committed to rebuilding a home for the school's extracurricular programs within three years.

Orchestra, choir, theater and athletics programs were housed in the destroyed multipurpose building, which was purposely set afire on June 13. The school, whose fall semester started Monday, is struggling to meet the demands of its arts and extracurricular classes with no instruments, costumes, sheet music or athletic gear.

Four $20,000 portables are set to arrive at the school in September. In the meantime, orchestra, athletics and theater classes are being shuffled around the campus to any available rooms. Also, the rubble from the June 13 blaze is still on the campus, and officials are still unclear about when it can be hauled away. Students are being kept away from the hazardous materials.

University of Hawai'i spokes-man Jim Manke said the dollar estimate for the new building is preliminary and could change as regents assess the budget for fiscal year 2007.

They must approve the budget by October.

Don Young, interim director of the University of Hawai'i College of Education, which oversees the Lab School, said the new building will likely hold classrooms and offices. Officials plan to make a presentation to the Board of Regents later in the year.

"The university is committed to building a new building," he said.

Parents who attended the school meeting on Thursday said they were encouraged to hear the university is on-track to rebuild. But some were disappointed there are not yet any concrete plans for the structure, and also expressed concerns about the progress of debris removal.

"At least it made us feel a little better," said Jo Ann Viernes, who has a child at the Lab School. "As far as the rubble that's still on the campus itself, they claim that it's being taken care of and UH will cart it away, but they won't give us the date."

Young said an answer on when the remains of the charred building can be removed will likely come next week.

Some 420 students from kindergarten through 12th grade attend the school, which is acclaimed for its cutting-edge curriculum and heavy emphasis on extracurricular programs.

"It's kind of a sad situation that the building is gone, but the effort is going to be wonderful if they built it up again ... even though it probably is going to be too late for my children," said Sudi Almasizadeh, a broker at Prudential Locations who has two daughters at the school in the seventh and ninth grades.

Almasizadeh also said she's not worried about the school being without extracurricular programs for a time, as long as their core classes stay the same. "We were so happy with the curriculum and the way the teachers are doing in the school," she said. "I have confidence they can do it without the instruments for a while."

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.