Education

Education Commissioner to Teachers: “Just Call Us” as Protests Expose Serious School Maintenance Failures

Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington is calling on unionized teachers to improve communication with the Department of Education regarding ongoing issues within the territory’s public schools. During a recent discussion, she said that one of the department’s major challenges is a lack of “open communication,” and called on teachers to reach out with concerns. “Hey, just call us,” she said, referring to teacher, noting that while department officials may not be frequently present on school campuses, once concerns are communicated, they can mobilize staff to address them. Her comments followed protests by kitchen staff and students at Lockhart K-8 school on Thursday morning, prompted by nonfunctional air conditioning units in common spaces. VIDE responded with a video statement issued the same day to address the concerns. Standing alongside Craig Benjamin, director of the Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance, and Dr. Stefan Jurgen, Insular Superintendent for the S...