State funds totaling $1,330,000 will go for asbestos removal at Kaimuki High School and Hokulani Elementary School on O'ahu, the governor's office said.

"This project will make Kaimuki High School and Hokulani Elementary School safer for students, staff, faculty and the public and are part of our administration's commitment to invest in schools across the state," Gov. Linda Lingle said in a news release.

Of the money, $700,000 will be used to remove asbestos from ceilings at Kaimuki High School, the release said.

The remaining $630,000 will fund asbestos removal from ceilings at Hokulani Elementary School, which is near the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus.

Work is scheduled to begin in March and be completed in July.

WAIALUA ROBOTICS GIVEN $5,000

Castle & Cooke's Dole Plantation last week donated $5,000 to Waialua High & Intermediate's nationally recognized robotics program.

Waialua High robotics team No. 359 believes that success is tied to teamwork, commitment and responsibility.

"That's our team motto, what we live by," said Glenn Lee, adviser and science teacher at Waialua High and Intermediate School. "The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition is not just about building a robot; it's about peer learning, taking leadership and bringing out the best in one another."

Each year, participating robotics teams face a new challenge — a robot that throws balls into baskets or one that places tubes on an 18-foot rack. Whatever the challenge, students have only six weeks to build a robot from a standard set of parts.

Since 1999, when Waialua first entered the competition, the team has medaled every year, finishing first or second in regional contests.

LEARN TO BOOST YOUR SAT SCORE

Kailua Public Library is offering "SAT Test Secrets 101 Seminar," a free informational program at 6 p.m. Nov. 27.

Conducted by Kaplan Test Preparation, a division of Kaplan Inc., this 1 1/2-hour program is recommended for high school students who are interested in increasing their scores on the SAT. Parents of students also are invited to attend.

Call the library two weeks in advance if a sign-language interpreter or other special accommodation is needed. Kailua Public Library is at 239 Ku'ulei Road. For more information, call 266-9911.

DOE OFFICE HAS BEEN RENAMED

The Hawai'i Department of Education's Office of Business Services has a new name: Office of School Facilities and Support Services.

The Board of Education approved the name change at a meeting last month.

"When the accounting and procurement functions were transferred to the Office of Fiscal Services earlier this year, the name 'Office of Business Services' no longer accurately described what remained in OBS," Randy Moore, assistant superintendent of the renamed office, said in a news release.

The Office of School Facilities and Support Services is responsible for planning, design, construction, and maintenance of school facilities; safety and security services; school landscape maintenance; school food services; student transportation services; reprographic services; and the Queen Liliuokalani Building mailroom.