The Science is Fun and Awesome Learning Academy Charter School is eyeing the former Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School campus as a temporary home for the coming school year.
The announcement was made by SIFA CEO Anthony Jay Sunga at a press conference held on Aug. 11 at the SIFA satellite office in Tumon Sands Plaza.
Anthony Jay Sunga, SIFA’s CEO, is flanked by members of his staff at a press conference on Aug. 11. Photo by Skyler Obispo
Sunga told reporters that the school issued the formal request to use the campus to the Guam Department of Education and the Guam Academy of Charter Schools Council board chairman on Aug. 8 and that the request now rests on the Attorney General’s opinion.
“We have been on an emergency action mode … to secure a home for the Manta Rays,” Sunga said.
Sunga said the site is “move-in ready” for students and faculty to begin face-to-face instruction outside of minor repairs and renovations.
Ron Ravela, SIFA’s director of planning, appliance, and research, told the Journal that it will realistically take anywhere from 10-14 days to get the proposed site ready for SIFA’s approximately 400 students for in-person learning.
Sunga said he is optimistic that the school will open its doors for the 2025-2026 school year on Sept. 2. However, SIFA will provide classes online as a temporary solution during the school’s AI-driven student assessment starting Aug. 15. Sunga added that the online classes are in place to prevent the loss of instructional time, allowing SIFA to meet its 180-day academic requirement.
If SIFA does move into the LBJ, Sunga said it will occupy the campus for at least a year. He emphasized that LBJ is a temporary home for the school as the campus is not set for what SIFA has planned in the next decade.
“The campus size will not allow for growth. It allows for continuation,” he said. “To move into a place that would limit us will just be unfair for our stakeholders as well.”
Upon the receipt of an opinion by the attorney general, the Guam Academy of Charter Schools Council board will convene an emergency session to discuss leasing the school to SIFA.
The charter school has also issued a Request for Inquiry on Aug. 8 to look for available commercial spaces to serve as a new campus.
Sunga said that the deadline of the RFI is Aug. 22.
It was not clear what a contingency would be if talks on the LBJ campus fall through. Ravela told the Journal that once the RFI closes, the school will make an announcement on next steps forward. mbj
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