Umatac stakeholders meet with GEB

by Nick Delgado

Guam - More than 50 stakeholders from F.Q. Sanchez Elementary School met with members of the Guam Education Board this morning at the Umatac campus. At issue is the threat that the department will close the school, as an Evergreen's management audit in 2009 revealed that selling the facility could result in DOE profiting $1.2 million.

The audit also states the closure could save DOE about $140,000 in operations and staff costs. However, PTA president Mary Sanchez says the stakeholders will continue to push to keep the school open, telling KUAM News, "It's all because of budget, but we gave solutions like for one stop having kings come down here and cater to our kids, we will do that - the parents."  

The plan from the audit as well as from DOE's Austerity Committee is to move the nearly 90 students to Merizo Elementary School. While some parents expressed disappointment with the board having the meeting in the morning hours, GEB chairperson Francis Santos says the meeting turned out to be very informative for board members.

He said, "Everybody's making some sacrifices to be here, the board members themselves so I think the stakeholders here were well represented and we will still accept written or formal testimony if they want to be given to the board and we can include it in the record."

Santos says the board will further discuss the matter and put it up for a vote during a board meeting. The GEB is scheduled to meet on Monday at 8:30 am at Untalan Middle School in Barrigada.