Hagåtña, Guam – The Governor’s School Opening Readiness Team (SORT) has officially completed its mission. Today, through the support of the Governor’s SORT, Inarajan Middle School (IMS) passed its public health inspection, enabling the return of in-person learning. Inarajan Middle School was the final Guam Department of Education (GDOE) campus to be inspected and receive a passing grade. 

“Two months ago, the outlook for many of our schools was grim, but through the commitment and hard work of the Governor’s SORT, we’ve turned that situation around,” said Acting Governor Tenorio. “Despite our limited authority over GDOE, our administration provided the skilled labor and manpower to address urgent campus repairs islandwide. Today, I am proud to announce that every GDOE school has passed inspection, and all our students can now return to in-person learning.” 

Nearly two months ago, 16 GDOE schools could not open in time for the start of School Year 2024-2025. With school openings still in limbo and GDOE in dire need of support, Governor Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Tenorio established the School Opening Readiness Team (SORT), comprised of government agencies assigned to schools, working directly with each school’s principal to provide skilled labor (electricians, plumbers, and carpenters) and manpower to address urgent repairs and cleaning. The Governor’s SORT worked alongside the GDOE’s facilities and maintenance team and school and community partners. 

“I want to thank the hundreds of government workers and Principal Derrick Santos and his staff who came forward–working through the weekends–to expedite the repairs and cleaning needed and eliminate further disruptions to student learning,” Acting Governor Tenorio added. “While we celebrate this victory, we cannot stop here, or we risk being in the same position this time next year. Now, we call on the Guam Legislature to work with GDOE to provide the funding support and mechanisms to empower them to execute a long-term and reliable facilities maintenance plan for all our campuses islandwide.” 

###

Skip to content