by Krystal Paco

Guam - According to a facilities capital action plan conducted by Sodexo in 2010, it would cost close to $7 million to completely renovate the 47-year-old George Washington High School campus. Students at the Home of the Geckos agree: the island's leaders are guilty of losing momentum when it comes to improving the quality of education.

The Mangilao school has suffered with overcrowding for over a decade, and GW senior Erica Respicio says it's about time another central high gets built. "At the beginning of the school year we were pushing to have our facilities fixed,' she said. "We had a little bit of buzz, but it just stopped; and of course, once it stops no one thinks about us we're forgotten."

Overcrowding only makes conditions worse as many classrooms don't have working air conditioners. Senior Michael Guerrero says it's hard to focus in the heat and with more than 30 students packed in a classroom. "The air cons in most of the classrooms do not work...once your air con breaks, it's pretty much broken for the rest of the year," he shared.

It's not just classrooms that are hot but the school's cafeteria. Students are discouraged from eating in there because of the heat, and it's not just the lack of seating, but also the prices. At $4 a plate, Respicio admits it's too costly so she's packed lunch for years. Just outside the cafeteria sits a pile of broken desks, TVs, and chairs that not only pose as an eyesore but a health hazard.

On top of avoiding the cafeteria, Respicio says she avoids the restrooms, especially during break times, as there are few working urinals, many lack locks on doors, and even toilet paper. Outside the hallways, students are often dodging the rain due to old leaking awnings.

According to the Sodexo report, roof repair schoolwide at the Mangilao campus would cost more than $500,000. When asked if they could grade government officials on what they've done to improve the quality of education on Guam, Guerrero said, "I would give them an 'F'. I don't think they're putting much effort into making the schools better for educational purposes."

The Department of Education has until September to obligate more than $60 million in capital improvement projects. Respicio hopes the island's leaders will collaborate with stakeholders on where the money gets spent, saying, "Work with the schools, too, to actually come up with a game plan as to what needs to be fixed - because if you don't talk to the administration or the teachers or the students, you're never going to know," she said.

Before the Governor's Educational Learning Task Force can look into building a new central high school, they have to decide what to do with the CoreTech facility in Tiyan and the Untalan Middle School campus in Barrigada, and whether or not the Tiyan facility can be converted into a high school to help ease overcrowding.