Right from the start, however, the project was riddled with problems.

An architect was hired to design the project in May 1991, but construction didn't start until 1997, six years later. School district officials say they don't know what caused the delay.

"I was always disturbed by it because I was told, 'It's going to start soon.' I wanted to get it done already, " said School Board Chairman Michael Krop, whose district includes Miami Beach High.

ADDED DELAYS

In the last 15 years, the district's construction projects sat an average of 888 days - or more than two years - before contractors were hired to start construction.

When construction finally began at Miami Beach High, delays held up the project another 211 days.

When the project was completed in the summer of 1999 - almost a decade after planning began - the gym bleachers and many clocks were not fixed. The fire alarm system received only minor repairs.

"As a parent, you sit there with your fingers crossed and wonder, am I going to be here listening to my grandchildren talk about how they need a new school?" PTA member Ondrea Weinkle said.

The new addition, built with modern science labs and equipment, immediately broke down.

A district inspection in June 1999 found ceiling leaks in the new classrooms and water streaming through back doors. The windows leaked, too.

When an inspector returned a year later, after students had moved into the building, the leaks had not been fixed.

John Pennington, who oversees construction litigation for the school system, said the leaks were largely the result of bad roofing materials. The manufacturer has since fixed the problem.

But it took the district at least two years to get the corrections done, and the roof is still leaking. Besides the bad materials, the roof was designed with slants, slopes and dozens of joints, which quickly became entryways for water. Pollack, the assistant principal, said the district's maintenance staff has tried to fix the roof at least seven times, and questions why the contractor or architect didn't do it. Said Pennington: "I don't know the answer to that. I don't know that anybody does."

The project architect, Glenn Buff & Partners, did not return repeated calls. The general contractor, F&L Construction, said the roof was installed properly but the materials and design were faulty.

"I'm not particularly fond of the design myself, " said Delio Trasobares, who oversaw the project for F&L. He no longer works for the company. "We can only do what we were told by plans."

Trasobares said he hasn't heard anything about the shallow burial of electrical wiring, or other problems, such as electrical panels that frequently overheat because they were installed in a room without proper ventilation.

"That was installed as designed, " Trasobares said.

LONG-AWAITED NEWS

Last fall, Miami Beach High got the news that parents and teachers had been hoping for: Much of the campus will be replaced.

It took the district months, however, to make the decision.

In spring 2000, school board Chairman Krop and the district's former chief facilities officer presented a $26.5 million plan to renovate the school in two phases.

It took a year for the school district to commission an architect. Then, after being paid about $60,000, the architect said it would be cheaper to replace the buildings.