HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Districtwide facilities and maintenance projects at the Guam Department of Education are underway with progress being made in cooling down classrooms, addressing repairs and getting schools ready for Department of Public Health and Social Services inspections.
Two weeks ago, work to address classrooms without air-conditioning began in public schools across the island, GDOE Superintendent Kenneth Erik Swanson reported in an update to lawmakers on Wednesday.
“The contractor has nearly exhausted supplies of units on island but has several more containers of units inbound to begin arriving next week. We anticipate the work continuing through the remainder of the school year,” Swanson said.
As of Sept. 29, 98 units have been installed at the following schools:
• Agueda I. Johnston Middle School, 25 units.
• Inalåhan Middle School, 20 units.
• Astumbo Elementary School, 13 units.
• Jose Rios Middle School, six units.
• M.U. Lujan Elementary School, 10 units.
• Chief Brodie Memorial Elementary School, 20 units.
• Oceanview Middle School, four units.
Repairs and refurbishment
GDOE is wrapping up the procurement process for two refurbishment projects that will cost more than expected.
“The (F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School) refurbishment project bid process has been completed, and the package is being prepared by our procurement team for legal review. The bid came in over the budgeted amount by $1 million, and hopefully this can be remedied during the legal review and move the package to the (attorney general) and (the) governor for final approvals. The GDOE-wide refurbishment project has cleared the bid process. However, the vendor bid came in over 300% above our (American Rescue Plan Act) fund budget,” Swanson said.
For the GDOE-wide refurbishment project, schools will be selected in the four regions of the district. Those selections will be legally reviewed to confirm as a targeted school for work to be conducted.
Swanson said GDOE will use all the allocated funds while searching for the additional funding to service more schools in the same bid.
“Hopefully, surplus funding can be located along with actual receipt of (Federal Emergency Management Agency) reimbursements that can be channeled to the remaining schools. Tentative plans will provide the upgrades to nine of our schools,” Swanson said.
According to the superintendent, repairs to the structure of the George Washington High School gym are moving along as scheduled.
“This project should be complete by year’s end, provided work stays on schedule. There is a remaining need to repaint the interior of the gym (and) refurbish seating, locker rooms and the main court,” Swanson said.
Sanitary inspections
GDOE’s facilities and maintenance team have their work cut out for them as they continue to service the daily needs of schools while getting schools ready for Public Health sanitary inspections despite limited manpower, according to Swanson.
“We are working closely with Public Health in this process and have a strong working relationship (with) inspectors and managers. Wettengel (Elementary School) is under inspection this week and Astumbo (Elementary School) and Agueda Johnston (Middle School) are to follow immediately,” the superintendent said.
To date, 12 out of 14 schools have passed inspections.
Swanson has targeted having all 41 schools inspected and passed by April 2024.
He noted that schools scheduled to be inspected in April were identified as Phase III schools, or schools that require the most work to meet inspection requirements.
“We have placed the high schools still to be inspected in that window because high school campuses encompass many more areas for possible demerits in the (Public Health) rating system, and closure early would impact graduation. Now that we have our air-conditioning contract operational, we are also targeting schools yet to be inspected so that those possible demerits are eliminated,” he said.
Swanson took the opportunity to ask the senators to consider changing the law to adjust the expiration date of sanitary permits from June 30 to the anniversary of when the school was inspected.
F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School in Yigo on April 17, 2023. The school’s refurbishment project bid process has been completed.
