A brand new administration building at Sunset Beach Elementary School sits empty, nothing but a shell after rising construction costs outran the $2.3 million appropriated for the project.

But the work could be finished by the end of the year thanks to Windward education officials and school principals from Kane'ohe to Sunset Beach, who have decided to forego some needed repairs and allow the DOE facilities and support services office to use that money to finish the inside of the building.

"Our principals support one another, so we'll do what we need to do and still take care of any safety issues," said Lea Albert, Windward District complex superintendent.

The principals have not decided what projects to delay but will meet today to discuss that and other issues, Albert said.

"Two complexes must work it out," she said. "I'm just happy that it's going to be finished."

It's a sacrifice the other schools wouldn't have had to make if legislators had approved more money for a project they mandated.

The state Legislature had added the Sunset Elementary building to the state Department of Education budget some years ago and had been funding it incrementally each year. In 2006 Gov. Linda Lingle released more than $2 million for construction. Another appropriation was requested to finish the project this year, but amid revenue shortfall, the request wasn't included in the state's budget.

Randy Moore, head of the Office of School Facilities and Support Services, said completing the project in-house will cost between $300,000 and $400,000.

Moore said it's not unusual for the Legislature to add projects to the DOE budget and in this case the Legislature was expected to fully fund it. This is the first time he recalls when the appropriation didn't come through, and it will be the last time the DOE begins a project without enough money, he said.

"What we'll do going forward is if we see there is not enough we will either design it to fit the budget, which would be less (building) than was anticipated, or we will simply not initiate it," Moore said.

Even when the governor released funding for the construction project in 2006, legislators knew that there wasn't enough to finish the structure, said Rep. Michael Magaoay, D-46th (Kahu-ku, North Shore, Schofield).

Magaoay said he requested $2 million this year to finish the building but was unsuccessful, adding that he originally encouraged the school to move forward to at least finish the shell.

"I know they need over $1 million just to finish it, so I'm still pursuing to see what else we can do," Magaoay said.

The first permanent administration building in the 35-year history of Sunset Beach Elementary School was slated for completion in the summer of 2007.

The school was established in 1973 but had to wait until 1990 for its first permanent structures, which included eight classrooms and a library. In 1995 a cafeteria was built, and now with about 385 students, the school still uses 16 portable buildings for preschool to grade-six students.

Ruth Holmberg, the school's principal, said she's excited to see the administration building project continue.

For all these years the office staff, nurse and principal were crowded into a 926-square-foot portable that had no privacy, Holmberg said.

The new building is approximately 4,680 square feet. The outside of the building is finished, and the inside is partitioned, but it still needs plumbing and electrical fixtures, electronic hook-ups, and flooring, Holmberg said.

"Everybody has pulled together, but it is not the best working conditions," Holmberg said. "If we weren't very friendly, then it would be very difficult."