House Education Committee holds public hearing on Escuela Superior Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos’ demolition, reconstruction and school relocations

The Puerto Rico House Commission on Education on Aug. 12 held a public hearing under House Resolution No. 76 to examine the status of Escuela Superior Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos in Toa Baja, including recent demolition contracting, project design under the Innova program, FEMA funding status and the school community’s re‑location and readiness for the start of the 2025–26 school year.

The hearing brought representatives from the Department of Education, the Office for the Improvement of Public Schools (Oficina para el Mejoramiento de las Escuelas Públicas, OMEP), the Authority for the Financing of Infrastructure (AFI), the Authority of Public Buildings and municipal officials from Toa Baja. Committee members asked for documents and timelines; the committee required that requested documents be submitted within five business days (deadline set as Aug. 19 in the hearing).

Why it matters: Committee members, parents and teachers said the school community has faced multiple moves and communication gaps, the demolition was set to begin after an "aviso para proceder" (notice to proceed) issued to a contractor effective Aug. 11, and reconstruction scheduling depends on FEMA obligating federal funds. Department officials and project managers told the committee demolition can be carried out under the current contract but that the construction phase requires FEMA obligation — a process they said is delayed by technical and interagency steps outside the department’s sole control.

Key facts established at the hearing

- Project and contractors: Department materials submitted to the committee list Benítez y Ramos Asociados, LLC as the design firm and show an Innova program schematic that covers about 180,605 square feet. A demolition contract was awarded to Sunset Contractor and Recycling Inc.; the contract was signed July 22, 2025, and the contractor held a kickoff meeting Aug. 6, 2025. The department and project staff said the contractor received an effective notice-to-proceed (MTP) dated Aug. 11, 2025.

- Estimated budget and scope: The department’s memorandum included an estimated project cost of about $63,019,400.12 and a campus footprint of roughly 19,736.96 square meters (about 4.88 acres). The current schematic calls for demolition of five existing structures and construction of three new three‑story buildings plus a new gym; demolition area cited at roughly 80,000 square feet.

- Timeline and permits: Project staff told the committee the demolition contract term is roughly 300 days for the demolition phase; staff said the contractor can begin administrative and permitting activities immediately but actual demolition sequencing depends on the contractor’s permitting and asbestos/lead‑abatement checks. Design and construction completion dates listed in the department’s planning documents are provisional (department staff noted a projected construction completion of early 2029), and officials emphasized those dates are contingent on FEMA obligating construction funds.

- FEMA funding and risk: Department and PMO staff said demolition can proceed on the contract award and MTP, but reconstruction depends on FEMA obligating the federal funds (the department called that “phase 5” of FEMA’s obligation process). Officials told the committee FEMA’s internal technical issues and additional federal-level review steps have delayed obligations. Department witnesses said they are meeting weekly with FEMA to advance obligations and that an extension or alternate scheduling is being sought if needed.

- School operations and relocations: The school community has been relocated multiple times. The hearing record lists the community currently located at Escuela Luis M. Santiago (after a prior move to Adolfina Irizarri). Department and OMEP staff described restoration work at Luis M. Santiago (repairs, air-conditioning, electrical, cleaning and delivery of furniture) that started in July and whose execution intensified the first week of August. School and parent representatives said enrollment has fallen from a historical high of more than 600 students to about 289 students at the start of the 2025–26 school year and expressed concern that extended timelines and uncertain communications cause further enrollment loss.

Concerns raised by school community and legislators

Parents, teachers and the school board president described short notice, incomplete moves and missing equipment during the recent relocation, and asked for clearer transport staging, accessibility for students with disabilities, and guarantees that vocational and special‑education programs can operate in the temporary site. Teacher and parent speakers also asked the committee to obtain the full geotechnical report and all design and contract documents to verify safety, scope and timelines.

Officials’ commitments to the committee

Department and project officials agreed to provide the committee, within the five‑business‑day window the committee set, copies of the geotechnical study, the demolition contract paperwork, the interagency agreement cited between the Department of Education and AFI, and the OMEP contract records for the works at Escuela Luis M. Santiago. Project managers said they would share the designers’ recommendation letter and the redesign documents that reflect liquefaction findings and the recommended soil remediation approach.

What the hearing did not resolve

No final construction funding obligation was announced during the hearing; committee members and department staff repeatedly emphasized that projected construction completion dates (department documents show a projected finish around 2029) are contingent on FEMA obligations and therefore remain estimates. The committee did not take a vote or pass orders beyond requiring the documentation described above and recording witness testimony.

Ending: The committee kept the record open for the requested documents and set a five‑business‑day response deadline. Departmental witnesses said the school would be open the following day to receive students while the department continued to monitor and complete remaining work at the temporary site; committee members asked the Department of Education and OMEP to provide written confirmation of safety checks and transport‑station decisions once finalized.