Sen. Chris Barnett has sent the Guam Department of Education a public records request seeking all studies, analyses and planning documents tied to ongoing discussions of potential school consolidations and closures, arguing the public deserves evidence before any village loses a school.
In the June 3 letter to Superintendent Dr. Judith T. Won Pat, Barnett argued the threshold for a closure should not be merely whether students can be accommodated elsewhere, but whether they would experience conditions equal to or better than they have now — including academic programs, student services, transportation and parental engagement.
"The burden should not rest upon affected families and communities to demonstrate harm after a closure occurs," Barnett wrote, contending GDOE should show beforehand that access and outcomes will be preserved or improved.
The senator pointed to two past actions as cause for scrutiny: the permanent closure of F.Q. Sanchez Elementary School and the recent discontinuation of the J.P. Torres Success Academy, an alternative-education program that for over two decades offered credit recovery and individualized support. GDOE has said affected J.P. Torres students would be referred to Guam Community College, Asmuyao or other alternatives, while the facility would temporarily house the Simon Sanchez High School community during its campus transition.
Barnett's request seeks documents on 12 areas, including impacts on transportation, attendance, special education, students with disabilities, emergency shelter capacity, voting locations and economic costs. He also sought after-action analyses of the two prior closures.
Where no such studies exist, Barnett asked GDOE to say so and indicate whether the subject was evaluated through any other process. The letter was copied to Guam Education Board members. GDOE had not responded as of the letter's transmittal.