Imagine longtime public schools that maybe you or your parents or even your grandparents went to, closing for good.

That's the reality for the Guam Department of Education.

Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson poised to present his recommendations on school closures to the Guam Education Board soon.

GDOE is hosting a series of virtual community briefings this week to shape the final outcome.

“I have preliminary information that looks promising–we still have more input to gather, and that’s why we’re doing this this week,” said Swanson.

Despite speculation, Swanson emphasized that his proposals remain preliminary, as multiple factors continue to play a role in the decision-making process.

“As we go through the process of examining, we’re looking at what’s the cost savings if we decommission a school–and they’re ranging in from just short of 2 to almost $3 million that we can recover if we did that with just one campus,” said Swanson.

While cost-savings are a major driver, especially amid a $47 million budget shortfall, the recommendations also reflect declining enrollment numbers. GDOE’s student population currently stands at 23,000, a significant drop from 30,000 pre-COVID.

“For example, we have two schools in Inarajan. When you look at the capacity, we have way more capacity than we need. So, combining them and making Inarajan Middle a K-8 school would keep the kids in the community. That is the biggest concern we’re hearing across the island, and we want our kids to be in the neighborhood of their school,” said Swanson.

Taking a trip up north, Swanson observed that many schools there remain full.

However, he uses the hypothetical decommissioning of Chief Brodie Elementary as an example of how attendance zones could be redrawn, with students potentially being realigned to Adacao Elementary, Tamuning Elementary, and Juan M. Guerrero Elementary.

But, he’s clear this is not an official plan.

Ultimately, the decision on school closures lies with the Guam Education Board, which can accept, modify, or reject the plans presented.

“The target that I’m recommending for implementation is next school year 25/26–nothing this school year because of the logistical things that need to be done–because it will change the configurations of buildings,” Swanson said.

The community engagement sessions begin tonight at 6 p.m. for the Haya region or southern districts, Thursday for the Kattan and Luchan region or central district and Friday for the Lagu region or northern districts.