PSS unveils construction plans of two high schools

By Marian A. Maraya
Staff Reporter

The Public School System bared yesterday plans to fast-track two major Capital Improvement Projects to the House Committee on Education, vouching for a more direct role in the construction of the proposed Koblerville Junior High and Kagman High schools.

Board of Education CIP Committee Chair Anthony Pellegrino told house leaders the school system is ready to take 75 percent direct responsibility of the undertaking compared to other infrastructure projects PSS has completed in the past.

“We don’t want to repeat the bad experiences we had with Kagman Elementary School,” said Mr. Pellegrino in answer to Rep. Dino Jones’ query on whether PSS is now in a much better position to meet the challenges of building two major schools simultaneously.

The BOE member expressed confidence the project managers selected to take on the jobs are well experienced and more importantly, dedicated to see the projects’ completion by July or August next year.

“It doesn’t matter how many legislation is passed on this project…it really depends on the individuals involved. I feel confident that the team will deliver in time for next year’s projected completion date,” he said.

Construction is now underway for the $5.5 million Kagman Junior High School as well as the $4.6 million Koblerville High School.

Guam Pacific Power Corporation has been awarded the contract for the junior high while Tano Group has also been granted the contract for the new high school. Some $10.5 million has been appropriated to construct both schools.

The schools are expected to reach completion less than 300 days after the date of initial construction.

The planned high school in Koblerville is designed to include an administration building, dining hall, dining lanai, academic classrooms, restrooms, science laboratories, vocational education work shops, JROTC hall, basketball and volleyball courts, gymnasium, locker rooms, concrete paving, and walkway canopies.

The two new high schools are being built to ease overcrowding at Hopwood Junior High School and Marianas High School.

Koblerville and Kagman are considered strategic locations for the school sites as Board of Education members last year studied the impacts of future population shifts as well as the distribution of the student population.

School officials are convinced of many advantages to the additional high schools citing less student discipline problems in the schools.

Limited student population would also enhance more inter-student and teacher relationships, according to BOE officials.

The Junior high school in Kagman is eyed to accommodate at least 600 students, anticipating a three percent student population growth at Hopwood Junior High School in SY 2000-2001.

The PSS’ ten-year growth projection for Hopwood is at 1613 by SY 2009-2010.

With the two Junior high schools on island, a total of 1800 students combined can be conveniently accommodated, according to the PSS CIP committee.

The new high school in Kagman is also eyed to accommodate some 600 students.

MHS currently has over 1800 students for the school year. Again anticipating a three percent annual growth in the student population, figures show that a new high school is indeed a necessity to accommodate 2336 students in SY 2009-2010.