‘Tours For Better Schools’ An Eye Opener For Senators, Opportunity Education

ST. CROIX — In an effort to get a head start on assessing the maintenance needs of St. Croix District public schools and seeking the requisite funding to correct them, Education Commissioner Sharon McCollum, Ph.D., along with the St. Croix Office of the Superintendent hosted ‘Tour for Better Schools 2015’ on Monday, June 22.

Education officials were joined by St. Croix Senators Terrance Nelson, Novelle Francis, Kenneth Gittens, and Senate President Neville James, as well as St. Thomas Senators Jean Forde and Justin Harrigan, Sr. for a walkthrough of Elena L. Christian Jr. High and Evelyn M. Williams Elementary schools, both of which will be temporarily shuttered for renovations during the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, the delegation, also comprised of representatives from Governor Kenneth Mapp’s office and the Board of Education, visited the Educational Complex and John H. Woodson schools to assess their maintenance needs.

“In light of our decision to close the two schools, we wanted the senators to see firsthand the damages to those schools as well as the other critical maintenance needs of the other schools within the District in hopes of getting funding to address these needs,” Commissioner McCollum said.

Education Commissioner Sharon McCollum, Ph.D., along with senators of the 31st Legislature, tour the John H Woodson Junior High School.

Sen. Gittens, through a press release issued on Monday, expressed concern with the current condition of schools, and said better must be down with the financial resources available.

“Because I visit most of our schools on a regular basis, I was not totally blown away by the condition of some of these areas, but I am disappointed that our students, faculty and staff have been subjected to learn and work in such deplorable conditions,” Gittens said.

On Monday, Hannah Rantan, a St. Croix Education Complex 2015 graduate, laid bare the unpleasant conditions in which students have been receiving their education, and said it’s one of the reasons they are not thrilled to don a uniform.

Gittens continued: “The tour was certainly an eye opener and a lot of the issues are a direct result of poor construction on the front end and poor maintenance plans in place on the back end. We have to do better and be more responsible with the limited financial resources that we pump into projects.

“I see a different level of commitment to do better in Commissioner McCollum and her team and I pledge my support to help them provide a better learning and working environment for our students, teachers, faculty and staff.”

Following the three-hour tour, attendees viewed a slideshow presentation during lunch that showcased the maintenance needs and their associated costs of the District’s 15 public schools.

Commissioner McCollum praised the collaborative spirit of the gathering and encouraged cooperation across government agencies, branches of government and the private sector to help move the territory’s schools forward.

“We are going to change the landscape of education and cannot do business as usual,” she said, adding, “We all have to come together in order for change to take place.”

St. Croix District Board of Education Vice Chairman Terrance Joseph called Commissioner McCollum’s effort “a breath of fresh air” in bringing the group together in a timely fashion.

This year, the tour took place the first weekday after the close of the 2014-2015 school year, making it a first for the District. Historically, education officials have conducted similar school tours just before the start of each new school year.

The St. Thomas-St. John District will host a tour later this summer.
Feature Image: Ricardo Richards Elementary currently houses four modular trailers (beneath) that were installed as temporary classrooms after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The Department of Education is proposing removal of the trailers, and replace with classrooms and covered play area/gymnasium (atop).