More Guam Department of Education schools are gradually being added to the list of campuses passing Public Health inspections.

And though this means no virtual learning for some students, the letter grades on school placards might still appear concerning for some.

Agana Heights Elementary and Carbullido Elementary Schools are among the latest to pass inspections–both barely making the grade with “C” ratings, both with 39 demerits and just two points shy of failing.

It’s a similar fate for six other GDOE schools with “C”s posted up.

GDOE Deputy Superintendent of Educational Support and Community Learning Erika Cruz spoke to lawmakers on the close-call trend.

“Well, the thing about it is, they’ve passed," she said. "As you know, the schools have been neglected for years—you have schools that are 30-plus years old without any maintenance on our schools, and it’s just something that’s growing. And so, like a home, you renovate every five years; our schools have never been renovated. Our budget is mainly on personnel–85% of our budget, I believe, on personnel– 10% is on utilities and whatnot. So, we have no money for the upkeep of our schools. It’s a band-aid solution to our schools, and a C is a passing, and this is the best that we can do.”

Cruz added GDOE as a whole is trying to abide by stringent Department of Public Health guidelines as best possible, though she says the massive issue requires a government-wide approach to solve.

“Maintaining the schools is important and should be the responsibility of the Government of Guam–the whole government and not just the Department of Education to maintain the schools so that we aren’t just barely passing with a "C," she said.

It’s a lack of upkeep that doesn’t just have a handful of schools barely passing–Tamuning Elementary and Lydon B. Johnson Elementary Schools failing health inspections with a "D."

Cruz today prepared both campuses for re-inspection next week.

“So what we’re doing is, we’re going through the inspection itself—the inspection that was provided by public health, and we’re going line item by line item to ensure that we’ve addressed each of the demerits so that when they are inspected next week, it would not be an issue and that it would not be a demerit and so that they can open school and stop this remote learning and come back to their home school," she said.

She made it clear that she’s not standing idly by–despite a call for GDOE’s higher-ups to make sacrifices during this month’s oversight hearing with the Legislature and the department.

“We’re on the go–we’re not just sitting down and pushing paper–we are addressing the needs of the school administrators, and the teachers, and the students and parents–my office is being utilized as a kindergarten class for LBJ, and so, we are making sacrifices,” Cruz said.

But even with these sacrifices, only time will tell if it is enough to get schools a passing grade from Public Health, as down air conditioning remains across GDOE, ceiling tiles are still missing, and a slew of other lingering issues that could possibly contribute to schools failing linger.

In the meantime, committee oversight chair on education, Sen. Chris Barnett issued this statement in response: "I don’t think barely passing inspection is something we should label as, 'the best we can do.' Public schools students and stakeholders are tired of excuses from GDOE leadership. They want better and they deserve it."