By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE power will stay on at Guam Public School System facilities today as GPSS was able to make a $970,000 payment to the Guam Power Authority yesterday.
GPA had said it would start disconnection proceedings against the public school system if payment was not made yesterday.
The payment consisted of $820,000 for the public school system’s January power bill and a $150,000 installment for the promissory note signed by GPSS for previous power bills.
However, GPA public information officer Art Perez said GPSS is not out of the woods yet as its February billing would be due soon.
Had GPSS not paid its due, GPA would have started disconnecting the GPSS central administration building.
According to Perez, the Department of Administration also cut a check for $252,000 as partial payment for the power bills of government of Guam line agencies.
A check for $82,000 was likewise issued to partially cover the power bill of the Department of Public Works.
On other GPSS matters, Speaker Mark Forbes, R-Sinajana, during a roundtable discussion on GPSS yesterday, asked officials to give senators an exact breakdown of the quantity and price of textbooks needed by the public school system
“We will nail down the textbook decision,” Forbes said as he set another roundtable for 4:30 p.m. today.
In light of its continuing financial difficulties, GPSS has been urged to review its textbook procurement policy, which has previously resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars being wasted.
While Forbes said he realizes there is a need for new textbook purchases, he said GPSS would do well to review its textbook policy in order to realize savings that may be used for more pressing needs.