Phyllis Byers has been elected new president of the Highline School Board.

Byers, from SeaTac, also served as board president in 2003.

The five-member board selected Matt Pina of Des Moines as vice president. He headed the board in 2004.

The two were first elected in November 1999.

Byers succeeds Tom Slattery, who joked about his term before the vote, "It was a pleasure to do it, and a pleasure not to do it next year."

After a short discussion, board members also approved a 24 percent budget increase for renovations to Olympic school .

The former intermediate school was remodeled to house Mt. Rainier High students while their school is being rebuilt. The high school students moved into the building in September. Their new school is scheduled to open in September 2007.

Former Olympic students joined North Hill students in a new building that opened at the beginning of this school year.

Voicing concern about the cost increase, Pina earlier pulled the budget item from the consent agenda.

Assistant Superintendent Geri Fain told board members the project's costs rose because construction time was condensed from six months to two and a half months.

The contractor worked on a seven-day-a-week schedule, according to Fain.

The delay in the start of construction was blamed on the slow issuance of a building permit by the city of Des Moines and an environmental permit by the state.

An appeal of the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) permit also caused delays.

Fain said there also were extra expenses to add parking for students and staff at the former intermediate school.

District officials assured Pina that Mt. Rainier's construction will not be compressed despite demolition delays.

Fain also reassured Pina that despite Olympic's added costs, the district's construction expenses are still within its capital budget.

Construction on Olympic and Mt., Rainier is part of the $189.5 million capital facilities bond previously approved by voters.

The district has placed another $148 million capital facilities bond measure on the March 14 ballot.

Following Fain's explanation, Pina moved to increase the Olympic budget by $1.6 million for a total amount of $9.3 million. The motion passed unanimously.