There are two things you can count on when discussing a Guam problem. First: It’s not new. Second: Someone is to blame. Some bad person is not doing their job. On purpose.

Let’s unpack that by looking at our schools.

Guam’s public schools have been in a state of disrepair since a few months after each one was built – do I have that right? Is that because the hard-working principals love it that way? Of course not. Is it because the governor refuses to fix them? Nope, that’s not the answer, either. Is it because the big bad Legislature denied their budget? Sorry, that is a no – they passed the budget. So what is it?

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Several decades ago, a well-intentioned educator felt Guam’s citizens needed a stronger voice in their kid’s schools. In 2003, the Guam Legislature passed a law that pulled the Guam Department of Education out from the governor and put it under an elected board of decent citizens who meet once a month for $250 a meeting – and, for that, they have responsibility for GDOE. At the time, the policy shift was all the rage.

But in the 20 years since, studies of elected boards pointed to the challenge of trying to navigate public will without adequate resources in expertise or dollars. What happens when they don't want to cut a popular budget item? Decisions often result in financial havoc. Up for election, they are incentivized to carry out public will, which does not always square with the zero-sum calculus of limited budgets. Some senators who supported the law now privately call it a “failed experiment,” and yet it persists to this day.

So now, everyone is blamed, but no one is truly responsible. And all that blame flying around is not fixing the schools.

If we really want to overcome the complex issues that result in broken-down classrooms, we need to be brave enough to say the system is not working and fix it so that the people caught in the system have a shot at succeeding.

How do we do that?

First, challenge the status quo. Guam’s population has gone down by about 3.5%, less than Hawaii or the CNMI. Families are having fewer babies and some are leaving to expand their horizons, resulting in fewer students. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to consolidate into fewer schools and have more money to maintain fewer buildings?

Second, don’t be too proud to ask for help. Is it a question of long-term financing? Are there efficiencies that can bring down costs, such as installing renewable energy? Oh, we don’t have money for that, you say, … well, Congress is giving millions of dollars to jurisdictions that are converting to green energy. Let’s get some experts and see how many millions we can save. What if we were brave enough to hire a lobbyist to pursue full Compact Impact reimbursement?

Third, don’t be afraid to revisit old decisions. Under this governor, the Bureau of Budget Management and Research and The Department of Administration have done an amazing job paying off the deficit, getting a surplus and putting GovGuam on the most solid footing in decades. If GDOE was put back, policies would be insulated from public whim and more bounded by the realities of limited resources.

And, finally, procurement. It’s the worst kept secret that Guam’s procurement law delays even the simplest of fixes for years. Knee-jerk reactions to isolated infractions have resulted in reams of bureaucratic red tape that make it impossible to get anything procured efficiently. Time to throw this process out and implement a new one that focuses on getting things done, not stopping them.

We need an efficient, effective and economical government. One based on modern policy. As we head into another election, let’s encourage our government leaders to be brave, to challenge the norm and banish bad policies to the landfill. Revisit how we do things. Try out new approaches and, if they don’t work, don’t be shy to admit it so we can try again.

Ginger Cruz is CEO of Mantid International. She formerly held positions at KUAM and as communications director for Gov. Carl Gutierrez, as well as deputy inspector general for Iraq reconstruction and as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She has a master's degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

If we really want to overcome the complex issues that result in broken-down classrooms, we need to be brave enough to say the system is not working and fix it so that the people caught in the system have a shot at succeeding.

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