FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 20, 2020 – Hagåtña, Guam) – During Fiscal Year 2021 budget discussions at the Guam Legislature today, Senator Therese Terlaje passed an amendment that would put $500,000 away for the physical construction for Simon Sanchez High School.  While previous efforts were directed at financing an Owner’s Agent Engineer and Architectural & Engineering Services, Senator Terlaje received the support of her colleagues to get one step closer to building a new home for the Sharks.

“After ten years of unsuitable conditions and numerous delays in procurement, the students and teachers deserve some good news and some tangible progress for their new campus,” stated Senator Terlaje.

Former high school teacher, Vice Speaker Telena Nelson, passed her own provision that would commit the money to Simon Sanchez by ensuring the funding was non-transferable.  In prior years, appropriations for SSHS were diverted by GDOE to operations when Territorial Educational Facilities Funds were short.

Additionally, Senator Sabina Perez passed an amendment that would require quarterly reporting from the Department of Education on progress moving forward which would include a listing of projects awarded, projects that have been put out for bid, a detailed ledger of the expenses for the rebuild, and the current status of the rebuild.

Senator Perez stated, “As a former teacher at Simon Sanchez High School, I understand first-hand the unhealthy, demoralizing facilities our hardworking students and teachers contend with on a daily basis. No child should ever need to cope with mold and leaky roofs when trying to learn. However, while all agree a new school is needed, it’s been over ten years and the long-promised construction of a new Simon Sanchez High School still hasn’t broken ground.

Today, my colleagues and I passed three amendments to increase transparency and ensure progress towards building the learning environment our students and teachers deserve. We fight for this cause because our students and teachers need us, and we must do everything in our power to build a new home for the Sharks.  We owe it to our island’s children to build them a school worthy of their limitless potential”

Budget discussions resume for the Guam Legislature in the Committee on Appropriations and can be viewed on local television, GTA Channel 21, Docomo Channel 117/60.4, and online via I Liheslaturan Guåhan’s live feed on Youtube.