By Gina Tabonares Reilly
Students of George Washington High School will have an extended vacation.
The Mangilao campus remains closed until repairs are made to pass a public health inspection, according to the governor's office.
The Guam Department of Education said the GWHS was one of the schools needing the most work based on the Department of Public Works' assessment.
Two days before the opening on Aug. 15, the Guam Department of Education received a laundry list of things to fix. It's long.
If classes begin as scheduled, the students will enter their classrooms with broken air conditioning units and barely usable toilets.
"According to GDOE personnel, most schools need major work on restrooms and HVAC," states a press release from the governor's office.
"Based on their assessments, GDOE needs more materials for restroom facilities, including toilets, urinals, faucets, and sinks. They are procuring these items and hope to have them by the end of the week," the administration added.
Public Health has yet to inspect schools that GDOE has indicated are not ready for inspection.
With senators shunning her request for the department's takeover, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero insisted she has no power to solve the public schools' predicament.
" The governor does not have control over GDOE’s maintenance or procurement," the administration said in a press release.
The governor met with the department's facilities personnel Monday morning and received a punch list of work required for schools to pass inspections.
"DPW observed issues ranging from outdated and non-compliant structures, such as restroom walls requiring height changes, missing stall handles, doors that needed to be lowered, a missing sink, and an exhaust fan that needed remounting," according to the governor's office.
Officials said the updates were required to bring the campus into compliance with current public health standards.
DPW observed lights that required uniformed diffusers, damage to fencing, and the need for more fluorescent tubes and bulbs.
CoreTech International has been contracted to perform most structural repairs and refurbishments at GWHS. However, their work and scheduled completion depend on the arrival of materials.
Meanwhile, school faculty and community volunteers continue to facilitate cosmetic improvements to campuses islandwide, such as painting classrooms and bush cutting. These fixes alone, however, will not be enough to prepare for inspections.
The governor's office said 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's office said.
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