‘Hopwood move should not cost govt a dime’

Hopwood Junior High School principal Jim Brewer said he would only be amenable to relocate the school to another location if the government would not spend a dime on the project.

In an interview yesterday morning with the Saipan Tribune, the principal said investors should be the one to shoulder the expense of relocating the largest junior high school in the CNMI.

“I would urge the government not spend for the project. Everything should be paid for by hotel investors. Let them foot the bill,” said Brewer.

He added that news last week about an international luxury hotel company wanting to use Hopwood as the location of a new hotel on Saipan was a surprise not only to him but also to the Public School System’s Central Office.

Brewer said not even the Education Commissioner Rita Inos was aware about the news about his school’s planned relocation.

The principal said he is not against the plan, but said there are a few things to consider prior to the relocation. He said the project would have to be discussed with the community, especially the parents of the children who commute or walk to the school everyday.

The school, which was established in 1962, has a total of 1,160 students. Brewer said the school would have at least 1,250 students next school year. He said relocating the students would entail a huge amount of responsibilities.

In his personal opinion, Brewer said the government should make sure that would-be investors should set aside plans for the building of at least two new junior high schools that could accommodate 700 or more middle school students to replace Hopwood.

“But the school has to be complete before we move in,” said Brewer, adding that the schools should be a “turn key” type of schools where everything is fully constructed, from classrooms to recreational and sports facilities for the students.

Another impact of the planned relocation, according to the principal, would be on the demographics of the students.

He said relocating the students would also mean an additional need for more buses and bus drivers and added that the government would have to resolve zoning issues for this matter.

“The PSS, the Board [of Education] and the central government should look at this from a business perspective,” said Brewer. He said the interest of the foreign investor would be good for the CNMI community but there should be a “trade off.”

Brewer said the government would earn from the investment but it should give the income back to the cash-strapped PSS. He added that the hotel investment could also support the payroll for vocational education teachers needed in the CNMI.

Lastly, the Hopwood principal said the government should involve the BOE and the school administration in the plan.

So far, no one has talked to the principal about the project.

“Somebody has to talk to me also about it. The sooner we get involved in the loop, the better,” said Brewer, adding that he would really have to know the pulse of the parents of the children who would be affected by the transfer.

It was reported earlier that Gov. Benigno R. Fitial met with businessmen in Japan two weeks ago and that Okura Hotels and Resorts is eyeing Hopwood as the site for its new hotel.

“They [Okura] have been eyeing the Hopwood property since 12-13 years ago. But I don’t have a place to relocate Hopwood,” Fitial said. “We could relocate Hopwood to Koblerville, but then it would be very close to Saipan Southern High School.”

Fitial added, however, that the planned relocation would not be done without proper consultation with Hopwood personnel and the parents of students at the middle school.

Okura operates 23 hotels, with a total of 7,440 rooms, throughout Japan and in Korea, China, Hawaii, Guam, and The Netherlands.