Gov’t agencies to adopt 2 schools each to assist with physical improvements

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced on Monday the expansion of the “Quiero Mi Escuela” (I Love My School) initiative, under which every Puerto Rico government agency will be responsible for adopting two public schools.

“‘Quiero Mi Escuela’ has demonstrated that when the entire government works together, we can achieve concrete results for our students,” the governor said in a written statement. “We began by assigning one school to each agency, and following that success, each agency will now adopt two schools. We are doubling our efforts because our children, teachers, and school communities deserve school facilities that are safe, clean, and in the best possible condition. My husband and I have also adopted our own schools.” 

“This is not limited to preparing a school in the days leading up to the start of classes,” she added. “Agencies listen to school principals and help facilitate solutions throughout the entire school year.”

The initiative began with the goal of ensuring a happy start to the school year by assigning a school to each government agency, fostering direct collaboration with the Department of Education (DE) and the Public Buildings Authority (PBA) to handle cleaning, painting, maintenance, landscaping and facility preparation before the school year begins.

In many cases, the schools adopted are the ones the officials themselves attended.

Work on facility improvements is continuing, even though the Financial Oversight and Management Board did not approve the $25 million requested for the DE in February. The agencies themselves will cover the costs of getting the schools ready for August.

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of agencies, municipalities, school communities, public employees and volunteers, the government has achieved two consecutive school openings characterized by better organization and schools that are ready to welcome their students and teachers.

The expansion will significantly increase the number of schools receiving support and reinforce the shared responsibility between government agencies and school communities throughout the year. Each agency is responsible for maintaining constant communication with the administration of assigned schools, identifying their priority needs, and collaborating on tasks that can be addressed through resources, work crews, equipment or interagency coordination.

The DE and the PBA, working alongside the agencies, coordinate the selection of schools while taking into account the needs of each educational region; the DE will monitor the work carried out by the agencies.

The governor emphasized that the initiative does not replace the DE’s responsibilities regarding school maintenance and infrastructure; rather, it complements those efforts by mobilizing resources from across the entire government apparatus.

“Education is everyone’s responsibility,” she said. “Each agency has personnel, expertise, and resources to contribute. With this expansion, we reaffirm that our students are a priority for the entire Government of Puerto Rico.”