It seems like students are just being moved from one bad place to the next.

That's the issue brought up by the dozens of staff from Oceanview middle school during Tuesday's Guam Education Board Meeting. 

Beckie Merrill is a sixth-grade teacher at the Hagat campus with just that concern. 

"My concerns are the facilities at both schools are in need of improvement and if we’re going to disrupt our students' education by moving them from one campus to another campus, we should ensure that the facilities they are moving to are a marked improvement. Unfortunately at Southern, that’s not what the case is right now and our concern is that our students are moving from one place of mold to another place of mold," she said. "One place of AC units not working, to another place of AC units not working."

The concerns come from many like Merrill who agree there has been poor communication, admitting that acting Guam Department of Education acting Superintendent Francis Santos has left them in the dark. 

Tensions ran high between Oceanview staff and board members.

Oceanview staff member: Yeah, but you’re saying to work with the superintendent, which we have done and he reversed his position.

Board Chair Mark Mendiola: Ma’am, please. Ma’am, please. Ma’am, ma’am. Ma’am please, I’m asking you. Ma’am. Please.

OMS staff: So that’s our experience. You want us to work with someone who’s in charge of operations who has turned on us already.

Mendiola, trying to keep the peace, assured staff the board is working through the issues. 

Echoing the frustration is Ewalani Escrupolo who has a daughter at Oceanview. 

"My main concern is the safety issue. Like with middle schoolers and high schoolers crossing paths during lunchtime or whatnot," she said. Just having a 10-year-old in school with a 16 or 17-year-old, it’s not right. I don’t agree with it."

The acting superintendent confirmed the move of Oceanview staff to Southern’s campus has now been delayed until Summer of 2023.

Additionally, students at F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School will go to Okkodo High starting Jan. 5, 2023. 

Santos confired the two schools will head into double sessions with Okkodo students on campus in the morning and FBLG students taking over in the afternoon.