Okada selected chair of education board

Mary Okada has been selected as the chairperson of the Guam Education Board. Maria Gutierrez was chosen as vice chairperson. Following Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony of the board, they will guide the education system through the implementation of the long-awaited, five-year state strategic plan and the master facilities plan.

The work ahead for the GEB will determine the future of Guam’s education system and Okada will head the board for its next term. The GEB oversees the Guam Department of Education, to ensure adequate education for students and bring the facilities into the 21st century.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us,” Okada told The Guam Daily Post. “There was a lot of work that was done, including the update to the strategic plan, the evaluation of the superintendent and, of course, we just completed the interview process for the new superintendent. So, we have a lot going on for us.” 

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Okada touched on the many schools that will be going through repairs and has high hopes for what the board can accomplish during their time.

“We have a lot going on in terms of the facility upgrades,” said Okada. “We are working through the repairs of F.B. Leon Guerrero (Middle School). We will also be looking at Oceanview (Middle School) and how to address the situation down at Oceanview. And then, hopefully, in the next couple of months, we will start turning the shovel on the Simon Sanchez High School. So, there is a lot for us to look forward to, but the underlying responsibility of the board is to address policy. And policy that helps students navigate through the educational system, so that they are successful.”

Gutierrez and Lourdes Benavente were both nominated for vice chairperson, but Gutierrez garnered the majority vote.

“This is not the first time I have been in leadership, I have been a chair and a vice chair for many years. What I look forward to with this board and with the leadership of the chair, Dr. Okada, is we have the strategic plan that we just adopted. So, we need to move forward with that,” said Gutierrez.

The state strategic plan aims to ensure that all GDOE students will graduate from high school prepared to engage in lifelong learning and enter the economy with the work-ready skills necessary to succeed, according to Post files.

“We really want to make sure that everything we do at the policy level, the support we give to the superintendent, really helps to improve student achievement and success,” said Okada. “We are here to help the students. We are here to help to succeed and to be ready for the world of work when they graduate from the Guam Department of Education.”

This year’s board members were sworn in Tuesday by Chief Justice Philip Carbullido at the GDOE headquarters.

Returning members of the board include Okada, Gutierrez, Benavente, Peter Alecxis Ada and Ron McNinch. Angel Sablan is the board’s lone freshman member.