House Education committee hears transfer requests for several closed school properties

SAN JUAN — The House of Representatives Education Committee held a public hearing on Feb. 4 to consider several joint resolutions that would direct the Committee on Evaluation and Disposition of Real Property (SETBI/SEDI) to evaluate transfers, usufructs or other legal arrangements for closed school properties in Vega Baja, Toa Baja, Mayagüez, Loíza (Eloísa) and Humacao.

The measures under review — among them RC Cámara 41 (Eugenio María de Osto, Vega Baja), RC 128 (Ernesto Juan Fonfrías, Toa Baja), RC 138 (Castillo school, Mayagüez), RC 153 (Emiliano Figueroa, Loíza/Eloísa) and RC 249 (Escuela Segunda Unidad Luciano Ríos, Humacao) — ask SETBI to “auscultar” the feasibility of transfers under Law 26 of 2017, as amended, and the committee heard representatives from SETBI, the Department of Education and municipal officials explain current custodial statuses and operational constraints.

Silvet Vélez Conde, executive director of SETBI, told the committee SETBI has reviewed several requests and recently authorized a 30‑year usufruct in principle for the Eugenio María de Osto parcel and previously approved a 5‑year lease for the Ernesto Juan Fonfrías property. “No nos oponemos a esta medida,” she said, while emphasizing the need for formal documentation and the agencies that hold titularity to complete required steps before final transfers or longer contracts can proceed.

Saraí Ruiz Maisonet, appearing on behalf of Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés of the Department of Education, said some closed schools are retained for essential administrative uses — notably regional archives and equipment storage — and that records stored in those centers are sensitive and subject to federal protections. She described a process by which SETBI, the department and other titular agencies must validate current uses and avoid duplications before any transfer.

Municipal leaders and community organizations presented concrete reuse plans. Vega Baja’s mayor, Marcos Cruz Molina, said his administration would demolish and repurpose the Eugenio María de Osto site for community parking and estimated about one year for permitting and reconstruction after a transfer is finalized. Eloísa’s mayor, Julia Nazario, described an existing long‑term arrangement for Emiliano Figueroa that the municipality administers jointly with a nonprofit and said the town would accept the property for public‑purpose use.

Several nonprofit groups seeking transfers spoke at length about needs and capacity. Corazón Azul, based in Toa Baja and serving adults with severe autism, asked that the lease for the Ernesto Juan Fonfrías site be converted into a more stable, long‑term arrangement so the organization could invest in permanent adaptations. Corazón Azul’s leaders said they currently operate on a 5‑year contract approved by SETBI and pay utilities and maintenance themselves; they said about a dozen adults attend the program.

Community groups from Humacao (Asociación Buena Vista Resiliente) and Mayagüez (Voluntarios Ex‑residentes y Residentes Castillo Corp) described plans to rehabilitate smaller school facilities as community resilience centers, emergency refuges and program sites for older adults and youth. Both groups said they have municipal verbal support but need to produce additional documents (insurance binding, donor commitments, concrete cost estimates) for SETBI’s formal review.

The committee set deadlines for follow‑up. The Department of Education and SETBI committed to provide inventories, counts of buildings and rooms, annual maintenance costs and data on federal funds within five business days. The committee also scheduled a site visit (vista ocular) for Feb. 11 to inspect at least the Luciano Ríos facility and said it will collect municipal letters of commitment and any donor evidence before preparing its report.

The hearing underscored two recurring constraints: (1) several closed schools remain under the custody or titularity of different agencies (Department of Housing, Department of Transport and Public Works, Department of Education) and require inter‑agency validation before transfers; and (2) archives and equipment stored in some facilities pose legal and operational hurdles that SETBI and education officials must resolve before a transfer can proceed. The committee ended the session asking applicants and municipalities to submit missing documentation and pledging to evaluate the measures with the requested attachments.