PSS buses vandalized

Eight of the nine 66-capacity buses of the Public School System have been vandalized, with the upholstery either torn apart or riddled with students’ writings. Some of the cushioned seats are barely holding on, thanks to duct tape, while others no longer have foam in them.

Public School System associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said he got the shock of his life when someone tipped him off to inspect the condition of the school buses last week.

Borja said he inspected the buses with his administrative assistant and was troubled to find out that eight of nine school buses have been vandalized, with interiors that are literally falling apart.

He said majority of the buses’ interior are badly damaged, riddled with betel nut spits, trash and torn upholstery on almost all seats.

Borja said he is deeply saddened by this, particularly since he was not informed by the bus supervisors about the state of matters.

In an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday, he said he felt embarrassed with the situation because he has been always proud to tell the public that the buses are in good condition, clean and are safe to ride on by the schoolchildren.

“I feel sad. I feel embarrassed. I feel really bad for the students who go to school and want to learn and cannot ride the bus because their clean clothes will get dirty,” he said.

Borja said he is more saddened by the fact that funding for the buses is hard to acquire, resulting in the school system having a bus shortage that continues to plague the system until now.

With the current state of the buses, he said that PSS would have to spend at least $8,000 for each bus just for upholstery repair.

“You know how many text books and instructional materials we could buy with that?” he asked.

He said he would meet with the bus drivers this morning to straighten things out. “I [want] to make sure the drivers clean it up themselves,” he said.

Borja said he really is disappointed with the drivers that he would be giving a letter to all 13 bus drivers under PSS to request them to clean and fix what he had found. “I’m going to tell them to clean them. …The bus condition could have been prevented. It’s unhealthy and unsanitary. They must personally clean it,” he said.

Borja said that if the drivers refuse to do so, this only means that they do not take pride in their work and they do not care about their job. “I could put them in suspension or recommend immediate dismissal.” But he said that that would be the last recourse for PSS.

Borja, however, commended one of the drivers who apparently takes time to clean the bus that he drives. “His name is Ray Santos,” he said, adding that Santos possesses pride in his job in that he has managed to maintain the cleanliness of the bus he drives.

He said the bus that Santos drives is an old bus but he has maintained the interior’s cleanliness and had even taped any torn upholstery and painted it to cover the damage.

Borja also commended the Special Education bus drivers for maintaining the cleanliness of their buses.

Borja said the other drivers have the mentality that they think they would retire soon so they do not care at all. “Well, I wish they would retire now, so I can hire someone who cares.”

He said further students have the common mentality that someone would clean up the bus when they tear up the seats and leave trash on the floor. This attitude that someone else would clean it up is everywhere, he said.

With the way things are, Borja said he considers the busing system very unhealthy and unsanitary right now “unless the bus drivers clean it up.”

He also called for the cooperation of parents as he needs to work with them in repairing the damage, the bus drivers to ensure that further damage is prevented, and the cooperation of students.

He plans to ask parents to take a look at the condition of the buses and let them help the drivers clean it. “Because it was left behind by the students, their children.”

In a related story, Borja said that the schoolchildren’s problems with the buses and its schedules would be lessened as three 66-capacity buses and 14 10-capacity passenger vans are on the way before the next school year starts. Another set of buses and vans are still up for bidding in 2006.