More than a year after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, public schools on the island still need much more than a coat of paint.
That鈥檚 according to Julia Keleher, the U.S territory鈥檚 education secretary. To be precise, she put the total cost of repairing the island鈥檚 856 public schools, and bringing them up to school building standards which until recently didn鈥檛 exist, at $11 billion. For perspective, that鈥檚 more than one-seventh of the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 total operating budget for this fiscal year.
The secretary has categorized the work into different buckets. Initially, Keleher said she has to try to get roughly $100 million in unspent Federal Emergency Management Agency Category B funds (think immediate health and safety work) released, in order to do things like mold remediation in schools. But that work will have to wait until the summer because, as she put it, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 remediate mold, paint, and repair roofs while kids are in building. I don鈥檛 have any place to put them.鈥�
Then, Keleher said she will use $1 billion in FEMA Category E money (think structural, longer-term work) to do construction work at 64 schools. Generally speaking, these schools are intended to be a representative sample of older and new buildings in a variety of environments, in order to give the island鈥檚 Department of Education an idea of how much it will cost to fix different types of schools. Throughout this process, she said officials will also need answers to questions about the extent to which communities want to be involved, and where students are sent while their regular school buildings are getting repaired.
Keleher estimated that at minimum, the $11 billion worth of work on schools will take three years, but said a better estimate is probably about seven years.
鈥淭he rebuild is a very lengthy process,鈥� she said.
See Our In-Depth Coverage: Putting Puerto Rico鈥檚 69传媒 Back on Track
The issue of funding for Puerto Rico鈥檚 ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Maria and Irma suddenly found its way back into the headlines a few days ago. That鈥檚 when that President Donald Trump could decide to use U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding intended for (among other things) projects to aid storm recovery in Puerto Rico to build hundreds of miles of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border instead.
鈥淚f he takes the money away I won鈥檛 be able to fix my schools,鈥�' Keleher said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have other money to do it.鈥�
Aida D铆az, the president of Puerto Rico鈥檚 teachers鈥� union, issued a statement Friday through the American Federation of Teachers opposing this idea, saying that educators deserve better after cleaning their classrooms up from Hurricanes Maria and Irma and teaching without electricity and air conditioning. (D铆az鈥檚 union is an affiliate of the AFT.)
鈥淭he federal government was never doing enough, but now it鈥檚 threatening to take what little has already been allocated to help,鈥� D铆az said.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossell贸 also criticized the idea on Friday:
No justification should be considered to reclassify the money that US citizens will use to rebuild their communities. If anything, the conversation should be how we get more resources to rebuild those impacted areas faster.
鈥� Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello)
Other Puerto Rico work: Keleher said she鈥檚 also focused on securing employment for students after they graduate, a commitment she made after attending several meetings with high school students to discuss their needs. She recalled meeting one student who said he had managed to avoid drug dealing in his neighborhood, but was feeling the pressure to start dealing on the corner; Keleher recalled that the student told her, 鈥淎ll this is in your hands.鈥�
鈥淚 want to make sure that the kids that graduate have options, and they can go get employment,鈥� Keleher said.
Keleher also said she鈥檚 interested in exploring options so that students in high school can get jobs, receive professional development on the job, and get credit that helps them graduate from high school. In addition, she wants to create a 150-hour certification program this spring to connect students with thousands of jobs with contractors, so that they have construction jobs waiting for them after they graduate.
鈥淧eople say, 鈥楢h, you can鈥檛 do that.鈥� Why can鈥檛 we?鈥� Keleher said.
Keleher and Rossell贸 made waves last spring for supporting a new law that now allows charter schools and vouchers on the island for the first time. The first charter school in Puerto Rico opened last August, but the voucher program won鈥檛 start until next year. And it remains to be seen not just how many students participate鈥攖here鈥檚 a cap and other requirements for children who enter the voucher program鈥攂ut also how many private schools accept those students.
鈥淣ot everyone is willing to paticipate. They鈥檝e already said that,鈥� the secretary said. 鈥淪ome schools don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to be a good option for them.鈥�
And how long is Keleher planning to stick around? She said she plans to remain Puerto Rico鈥檚 education secretary for another six years, in order to make sure that the changes she wants to see are durable and that people who follow her are prepared to take over the revamped system. (Keleher was appointed by Rossell贸 in early 2017, and the governor is up for re-election in about two years.)
鈥淚 want to see it through,鈥� she said.
Photo: Teacher Edgar Esquilin stands in his classroom, closed due to water damage, in Loiza, Puerto Rico, in January 2018. (Andrew Ujifusa/Education Week)