ST. CROIX, USVI – 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.
Following the three-hour tour, attendees viewed a slideshow presentation during lunch that showcased the maintenance needs and the 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.
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