Guerrero donates travel allowance for bus repair

A Board of Education member is willing to donate his travel funds to assist in the repair of Public School System buses reportedly vandalized by its occupants.

Associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said board member Herman T. Guerrero has pledged his travel allowance amounting to almost $8,000 to pay for the cost of replacing the upholstery of eight buses ripped and torn apart and in various stages of disrepair.

Guerrero declared his assistance during the special BOE meeting at the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning Center at the Marianas High School Friday afternoon.

Borja said he is very overwhelmed with the good intention of Guerrero who would help repair the cushions of the buses.

“I’m very impressed and I believe other board members will be behind him.”

He said PSS might need to get the commitment from other board members who have expressed the same gesture.

“I am pledging it. Unfortunately, I only have $8,000 but I’m still concerned with the buses,” said Guerrero. He said the board still has to address the problems of the buses.

Guerrero said he would rather give it this way and he also sought the BOE chair’s assistance on the matter.

Borja said Guerrero has not used his travel expenses. He said there were some funds identified for professional development training of the board members.

The fund is equally divided among the five voting members of the board and a smaller portion for non-voting members. Guerrero’s travel allowance has reached $8,000, same with the other five voting members.

“Guerrero has not yet traveled; he may be getting all $8,000,” said Borja.

Borja earlier said that the cost for the repair of upholstery of the eight damaged buses would reach up to $60,000, but he admitted yesterday that he made a mistake in calculating the repair amount and that the $8,000 repair for each bus was for its entire interior, which also includes the flooring, windows and others.

Borja said PSS needs only to concentrate on the repair of the seats that are badly vandalized and destroyed.

He said he conferred with the bus vendors on the island and got a quotation for the buses that need immediate repair. The estimated cost of repair is $15,000-$16,000 for all eight buses.

Borja said Guerrero’s pledge would help at least 50 percent of the repair cost. “We’re halfway there already.”

He said his task right now is to ask the bus drivers to do whatever bus driver Ray Santos has been doing.

He earlier commended Santos who drives an old bus but manages to maintain the bus interior’s cleanliness and had even taped torn upholstery and painted it to cover the damage.

Borja said the community must come together, “Because what we have right now is really expensive and we may not get a replacement, we’re so dependent on outside funding and our economy is one where we need to be more conservative.”

He also said he is glad that students are acknowledging the need for positive changes. Borja hopes students will also help other students. He said he still has faith in the CNMI community that like the old days people help and take care of each other.