Twenty three public schools definitely will open this Thursday, August 15. And by the end of next week, according to Guam Department of Education leaders, every public school student will be able to be back in school. For the students of between 16 to 18 school campuses, it is likely they will start their school year late next week sharing a campus with one of the 23 schools that will open this week.
Those 23 schools that will open this Thursday are:
- Adacao Elementary School
- Agana Heights Elementary School
- Astumbo Elementary School
- B.P. Carbullido Elementary School
- C.L. Taitano Elementary School
- H.S Truman Elementary School
- Inalahan Elementary School
- LBJ Elementary School
- Liguan Elementary School
- M.A. Sablan Elementary School
- Maria Ulloa Elementary School
- Merizo Martyrs Elementary School
- M.U. Lujan Elementary School
- Talofofo Elementary School
- Tamuning Elementary School
- Wettengel Elementary School
- Agueda Johnston Middle School
- L.P. Untalan Middle School
- Oceanview Middle School
- JFK High School along with Simon Sanchez High School in a double session at JFKHS
- Tiyan High School
- J.P. Torres Success Academy
The two schools that may pass inspection this week are Astumbo Middle School and Ordot-Chalan Pago Elementary School. “It is not definite that they will open on Thursday,” Guam Education Board vice chairman Angel Sablan said of those two schools. “If they pass inspection, we still need to give a 24-hour notice, bus operations, food and all of that, plus the stakeholders and parents of that school. So, most likely they will not be open [this] Thursday.”
In the first of what will be daily news conferences by GDOE – a service GDOE officials are emphasizing is part of their commitment to transparency and to communicate more effectively with the public – education superintendent Erik Swanson said a back-to-school contingency plan is being finalized and will be released Friday. That plan will explain to school communities of campuses that won’t be open by the end of next week when and where those students will have classes.
GDOE is looking at combinations of daily double sessions, checkered school days, and online learning.
Of the 18 schools awaiting public health inspection, only two schools are scheduled for inspection this week. It is unlikely those schools will be ready to open this Thursday due to notice requirements, Mr. Sablan said during the news conference. Mr. Sablan is the board member overseeing the school readiness initiative.
Mr. Swanson expressed his gratitude to GDOE’s employees for the tremendous effort to ready school campuses. He also is grateful to the volunteers from the public and private sector who have increased their presence and participation at several schools.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help schools to reopen and to stay open are encouraged to call any of the schools, or the superintendent’s office at (671) 300-1677.
Schools also will be receiving help from Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s School Opening Readiness Team (SORT), which is coordinating an Adopt-a-School program. The program, which debuted its work at George Washington High School today, will coordinate with GDOE the supplies and equipment needed for professionals throughout the executive branch agencies to tackle specific repairs at each of the public schools.
Mr. Swanson was unable to say how many of the 18 schools are in a condition of disrepair so severe that it is improbable those schools will be open before the second semester. However, both he and Mr. Sablan said “several” of the 18 schools will not be open for “several weeks.” The governor’s office previously said there are 10 schools in major disrepair.
Mr. Sablan, who emphasized that the education board could not blame the present crisis on Mr. Swanson, all but said the problems the current superintendent are facing stemmed from failures by his predecessor, Jon Fernandez. Pressed on whether he has held any of his subordinates accountable for the crisis, Mr. Swanson said, “Those folks are no longer with us.”
GDOE since 2021 has had access to more than $200 million in federal funds, much of which could have been used for school repairs and supplies. Following Mr. Fernandez’s resignation as superintendent in July 2022, the public found out that most of the money had yet to be obligated for its intended purposes. GDOE has since been rushing to use the money to fix schools, most of which have received only patchwork on dilapidating conditions that have festered for decades. Those conditions are the result of legislatures and governors of years past failing every year to provide GDOE with funds for both deferred and preventative maintenance.
Ms. Leon Guerrero’s office said in a news packet announcing the GWHS debut of the SORT effort, “The repairs needed for many schools are extensive due to many years of deferred maintenance. Schools need to be maintained year-round, not once a year, before schools start. The Governor does not have control over GDOE’s maintenance or procurement.”
She does, however, have partial control over the annual budget, which is why Kandit asked her spokeswoman – Krystal Paco-San Agustin – whether the governor will be advocating a change to the current proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget that adds the millions more GDOE needs to perform maintenance.
The budget currently is before senators, who by law must pass the budget before August 31.
Chris Barnett, who has oversight of GDOE in the legislature, confirmed he will be moving to amend the budget to give GDOE a $10 million cushion for maintenance for next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2024 and ends on September 30, 2025.
1 Comments
Castro
08/13/2024 at 9:29 AM
Way to go identifying that these issues are with the former superintendent. Didn’t the board keep giving Mr. Fernandez the highest ratings on his evaluation? Never checking on the school’s needs when repairs and work order requests were being submitted, but no action.