Guam – It took a closed door meeting for DPW and the OPA to discuss the International Bridge Corporation’s Maintenance and cost analysis for the JFK rebuild project.
But what about the other island schools, such as Southern High School, that badly needs repairs.
According to Southern High School Principle James Petitte, “I’d like to have a cadillac deal down here at southern HS myself.”,
That’s Petitte reacting to Doris Flores Brooks analogy on the department of public works proposed maintenance contract for the new John F. Kennedy campus.
On Thursday, Brooks told PNC that she felt the maintenance contract is an expensive proposition saying, “It’s like a cadillac fully loaded and can we really afford a cadillac that’s fully loaded.”
The legislature placed a 6.9 million dollar cap on the maintenance contract for the new JFK campus, but what about Southern HS.
Petitte says he’s unsure if DOE has a plan when maintenance issues come up.
“There’s just no way that a school as new as Southern High, 13 years old , can deteriorate this quickly. I don’t understand this. The Superintendent of DOE and DOE do what they can. But If we don’t have the supplies, what can you do. “
Petitte’s main complaint is that there’s about 20 class rooms are without air conditioners. While we (PNC) were interviewing the principle, JRN , the contractors who are repairing the school’s AC’s, called because they don’t have the parts to repair the broken units.
According to JRN, It will take another week or so before they can get the materials needed to fix the air conditioners . Petitte says without ac’s in the classroom will be warm for the students. According to Public Law 28-24 written by Senator Robert Klitzkie, the “Every Child Is Entitled To An Adequate Public Education Act” says, the temperatures inside a class room can not exceed 78 degrees.
Petitte says thats the thing that bother him the most. The morning’s are cool, the afternoon’s gets warmer. We may need to adjust the bell schedule so the classrooms don’t get too hot for our students.
According to Petitte, Southern High was on a different bell schedule about two or three years ago because of air condition issues. He says he would rather not change the bell schedule, but what else can he do if he has no other choices.
Petitte says $8 million dollars worth of ARRA funds will be used to help repair the gym, performing arts center, the pool and the auxiliary fields . But after the ARRA funds are spent on the school, what’s to prevent Southern from deteriorating again?
Petitte hopes to generate funds when people rent out the performance art center, if the pool is fixed then we could let the community use it over the weekend. Petitte feels these fees generated could help pay for the maintenance cost for Southern
Petitte wishes he could get Southern up and running at 100% because his students don’t deserve any less than that.
