PSS to move some students to resolve classroom overcrowding

Students from eastern and northern schools on Saipan will soon find themselves either staying or moving to another campus as the Public School System scrambles to solve the overcrowding problem before classes start in August.

The Board of Education held its monthly board meeting with PSS officials at the Saipan Grand Hotel yesterday afternoon.

Associate commissioner David M. Borja presented to the board the solution they came up with to solve the impending problem at Kagman Elementary School and Kagman High School.

He said students who are in 8th grade and are incoming 9th grade at Chacha Oceanview Junior High School will remain in Chacha Oceanview. Instead of moving to KHS, Borja said they will continue their 9th grade at Chacha. This would include students who live north of Sadog Tasi. Chacha will also keep the 7th grade students going to 8th grade now who live on Capitol Hill to Papago and the Kagman area.

Chacha would also keep 6th grade students going to 7th grade who live in the Kagman area. The Junior High School would receive incoming 6th grade students from Kagman Elementary School.

Hopwood Junior High School would receive incoming 8th grade students who reside north of Sadog Tasi. Kagman High School would keep the incoming 10th to 12th grade students only. Kagman High School will not have 9th grade students this coming school year. Gregorio T. Camacho and Tanapag Elementary Schools will keep its 6th grade students going to 7th grade—only if they live north of Sadog Tasi.

Borja said this movement was prompted by the limited capacity in schools, especially in Kagman High School.

He said the school was initially built to house a maximum of 600 students but the current population at KHS has reached at least 809 students already. He said the school is expecting the population to increase to 912 new students by next school year.

The solution is only for next school year, said Borja, as the PSS is planning to open a new junior high and high school, possibly at the La Fiesta Mall. Borja said school bus drivers have already been informed about these changes and that they have already arranged the new schedule of the children.

Borja said they would have to request for additional chairs and other materials needed for the new arrangements to accommodate the transfer of the students.

The board is right now waiting for the response of the local government with regards to their report on the La Fiesta feasibility study.

A portion of the mall is being considered for use by students hailing from the Tanapag, San Roque, and Marpi areas. Board chair Roman C. Benavente said he received a word from Gov. Juan N. Babauta about how glad he is with the board’s decision.

Benavente said he and other board members were supposed to meet with government officials this week regarding this matter but the governor had to fly to Japan to meet with Japan Airlines executives.