Education

Acting Governor Roach Signs Executive Order Declaring State Of Emergency To Facilitate Swift Repairs Of Schools Before 2019-2020 School Year

Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach in his capacity of acting governor while Governor Albert Bryan was in New York City, last week signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency of exigency for the Department of Education. Mr. Roach took the action to facilitate the swift procurement process for the repairing of schools territory-wide for the 2019-2020 school year. The state of emergency declaration was first made known Monday not by Government House, but by the Office of Senator Alicia Barnes. In her release, Ms. Barnes said while she appreciated the issuance of the executive order as it facilitates a streamlined procurement process for necessary school repairs, she was concerned that it came late and falls short by not addressing expedited permitting by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (D.P.N.R.). Ms. Barnes, a former D.P.N.R. commissioner, said the department’s building permit process is a key component and critical path in the school repair process and shou...