V.I. Education Commissioner Addresses Concerns About Public School Conditions

In a bid to reassure residents ahead of Monday’s public school openings, the V.I. Education Department released walkthrough videos featuring inspection teams, including Board of Education and Environmental Health representatives, assessing several campuses.

Despite the efforts this week to highlight progress, faculty and staff shared their own images Wednesday, broken ceiling tiles and chairs among them, claiming the campuses are not yet ready for students. In a call with the Source Wednesday, Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington highlighted critical concerns, noting, “New schools in old buildings are just not going to happen. Safety issues have to be addressed first,” she said, emphasizing the priority of addressing fundamental problems before cosmetic improvements.

Wells-Hedrington added the department has had to be clear and intentional with how it spent its local dollars, and sought additional funding from the U.S. Department of Education, successfully reprogramming over $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to tackle longstanding maintenance issues. This funding will support various projects, including perimeter fencing, security cameras, and the purchase of AED machines and first aid kits for classrooms, she said.