GTC may shut down school

[B]By MONETH G. DEPOSA[/B]
[I]moneth_deposa@saipantribune.com
REPORTER[/I]

School administrators and Public School System officials are not discounting the “high possibility” of shutting down Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School if three of its oldest facilities are not immediately rehabilitated.

GTC acting principal Charlotte Camacho disclosed this yesterday, emphasizing the school’s failing marks from the Bureau of Environmental Health that requires every campus to be safe and orderly for students.

Camacho conceded that the bureau gave the school a “passing grade” in consideration of the action plan presented by GTC, which includes the scheduled rehabilitation of Buildings B, F, and G.

In a tour of the campus yesterday, school administrators disclosed that the three most dilapidated facilities on campus have never been repaired or reconstructed in more than 30 years.

A total of 120 students in the upper grade may be affected if the buildings are closed down.

“We have no place to put all these kids. We’re asking the governor for consideration to our children,” Camacho said.

GTC has a total enrollment of 228.

There are 14 classrooms housed at the three buildings—four in Building B and five each in Buildings F and G.

In a news briefing at the school, acting vice principal Martin Dalsaso and PSS CIP coordinator David Loan emphasized the huge effort put in by school’s PTA, the PSS leadership, and administrators in processing the needed permits for the reconstruction project.

Acting principal Camacho said that GTC received the grant proposal approval from the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. on Sept. 24, 2008.

“They [NMHC board] even increased the grant to $800,000, where they allotted $600,000 for the rehabilitation of the three wings and $200,000 for the collateral equipment,” the acting principal said.

She said they were so elated by the “good news” that they immediately worked out a plan to begin the physical construction in June 2009.

On Thursday, the Board of Education expressed its disappointment over the cancellation of the project after Gov. Benigno R. Fitial allegedly rescinded the NMHC decision and reallocated the funds to a Koblerville soccer field. The board urged the governor to “re-consider” his decision.

“We want to inform the governor that this is very crucial to our students. GTC got its $66,000 share from the $1.2 million he reprogrammed from CIP…but that was just intended for the termite control and other electrical upgrade,” Camacho said, adding that she’s worried that the Bureau of Environment Health will not give GTC a passing grade the next time it conducts an inspection at the school.

“BEH had cleared us before…because we showed them our plan through the CDBG grant…” the acting principal added.

Camacho is still optimistic that the project will push through until “formal notice of cancellation” from NMHC is received by GTC.

“We’re still hopeful,” she said, admitting that she’s aware of the governor’s letter to NMHC last Nov. 17.

Camacho said GTC will continue to submit its proposal to NMHC’s CDBG until it gets the funding.

Rep. Joseph Camacho of Precinct IV and House Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Ray Yumul were present in yesterday’s briefing to show their support for the GTC project.

“I am here supporting GTC…I want to find out what’s really going on. Education of our children is very important and I asked the governor to reconsider this project,” Camacho told Saipan Tribune.

Also present to show their support were Education Board vice chair Herman T. Guerrero and PSS acting associate commissioner for administrative services Charlie Kenty.