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Lawmakers have plenty of questions for outfitting of new schools
With a number of island schools under scrutiny for sanitary- and health-related issues, lawmakers Tuesday afternoon met to discuss how they will fund the outfitting of the island's three new schools set to open next school year. Senators expressed serious concerns about the requests for collateral equipment, questioning whether the items were actually needed or merely wanted.
Because the Guam Public School System's budget does not include an appropriation to procure equipment for the island's three new schools set to open in the fall, senators of the 29th Guam Legislature today attempted to get answers on how much money is needed and what it would be spent on. Officials today told senators they are hoping $4.2 million will be available for the three new schools.
Items like nearly a dozen refrigerators and freezers for five teacher lounges in a single school and 160 computers and 80 computer workstations had senators puzzled doing the math. Senator Tina Rose Muna-Barnes (D), said of the requests for such gear, "I really think there should be a delineation on where each of these are going to, because when we look at the equipment, It shows a large number compared to all the schools requesting for the same."
Senators stressed the need for GPSS officials to concentrate on what was needed, not what they wanted for the new schools. Freshman Republican Frank Blas, Jr. announced, "I guess we have to separate it between want and need...while we're outfitting these new schools, there are requests and pleas from other schools for the same type of equipment. And just to be fair, all the way around."
Lawmakers also expressed concerns about the lack of cafeterias in the new schools. As it stands, Ukudu is supposed to prep food for not only its students, but for those at the Liguan and Astumbo schools, too.
Not willing to borrow millions of dollars to pay for sandpaper and paint brushes, it was clear some senators want more specifics and clarity in the governor's bill. Senator Ben Pangelinan (D), said, "This doesn't tell me anything at all nothing that we discuss here with regards to we're gonna buy this, we're gonna buy that is included in this bill whatsoever. The governor could decide later on just based on this to borrow it and pay for something else. That's what I can see from here, because it doesn't commit it to funding the money for the new schools, it doesn't say to fund collateral equipment for new schools."
Added contractor Jason Ralston, "So we don't know the interest rate yet, we don't know the length of years on the term of the lease, and we don't know the final number on the cost of the equipment. So I think the way to do this and the way to get it done both in an intelligent manner, but also efficiently from a time standpoint, is to have a not to exceed and specifically to identify for the off site equipment, off-site utilities, collateral equipment for these four schools."
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