Won Pat talks about improving education

The Governor's Plan and the Legislature's Support for improving public education
by Speaker Judi Won Pat, 31st, Guam Legislature

My Dear People of Guam,

Buenas yan Hafa Adai!  I commend the administration for impaneling a task force and laying out a plan to prioritize public education.  The chief components of the plan revolve around school facilities, supplies and equipment; transportation; and enhancing teaching and learning.

This is welcomed news and one that signals the prioritization of education by the current administration.  Best, it is an actionable plan and one that we should rally behind.

So as to lend support to this plan, as Speaker and Chairperson on the Committee on Education, I will continue to work to facilitate bipartisan collaboration in the Legislature and regular communication with administration officials on these very matters.

I am committed to building new schools and renovating existing schools through a series of financing options that are reasonably feasible.  Previous legislatures have introduced and passed legislation that provided enough flexibility for innovative and creative financing for the construction of new schools.  Municipal lease-back arrangements, qualified school construction bonds, and tax credits are examples of how we came together as a community to build new and renovate existing schools- John F. Kennedy being the most recent example.  Another example is PL 30-182 that allows for the expansion of Okkodo High School in order that we may alleviate severe overcrowding in our high schools.  At that time, Senator Eddie Calvo and Senator Ray Tenorio supported this measure.  Now, urge the governor to implement it.

Let me go further by publically stating my support for a comprehensive CIP package that would construct new and renovate existing facilities at DOE, GCC, and UOG, to include the land resources building in Hagatna- provided that we do not affect our current debt ceiling.  This may be accomplished by amending existing laws to permit for greater flexibility in public financing through a municipal lease-back agreement.  This is where the administration and I see eye-to-eye: the infusion of an additional $60 million into our economy will create jobs, improve the learning conditions in our public schools, and restore Hagatna, our capitol, as the center of government activity that the People of Guam may once again be proud of.  My only condition is that we do so without affecting our debt ceiling.

Given that the transportation of our school children is a shared priority, I stand ready to draft legislation with input from the education task force that may allow the government to buy school buses inclusive of the maintenance agreements for these buses (which is a unique feature of any municipal lease-back arrangement). The same funding mechanism may be used to purchase much needed police vehicles so that our streets and villages may be safer.  Such an arrangement makes sense.  Municipal leasing allows governments to spread the cost of expensive, long-lived equipment and vehicles over their useful lives and multiple budget periods--instead of paying for everything in advance.  In thinking out of the box and towards consolidating resources and creating synergy, we may want to consider incorporating public school busing with a mass transit system.

I am encouraged that the administration is acting on existing laws that were designed to fulfill educational initiatives such as those outlined by the task force. 

For example, PL 30-201 authorizes improvements to the UOG Student Center and UOG Engineering Annex, as well as for improvements to several GCC buildings.

Another example of an existing law that supports the governor's task force initiatives is PL 23-67.  This law allows for the use of public school campuses, recreational areas, and learning centers to the community during non-school hours and weekends. 

When I wrote this bill, which is now public law, I too believed that school facilities may serve other functional purposes in our villages.  After-school tutoring, athletic and academic tournaments, as well as community based organization meetings may all occur on our school campuses throughout the island.  I applaud the administration for wanting to maximize our scarce government resources and the limited number of government buildings in a way that fosters physical, academic, and character development.

The advancement of our Common Agenda for the People of Guam requires that we work together in a bi-partisan spirit of cooperation. 

The advancement of our Common Agenda for the People of Guam requires that we remain transparent, deliberate in our thoughts and in our ways, and that we genuinely commit to working together, through the spirit of Ina'famaolek, for the ultimate benefit of the People of Guam.

I stand ready to work with the administration, the education task force, Board of Education, Guam PTA Congress, and student leadership to improve the overall state of education for this great island of ours.

Saina Ma'ase.