HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam Education Board member Maria Gutierrez believes someone is playing a game with the development of the Guam Department of Education budget request.
On Tuesday, after exiting an executive session, Gutierrez motioned for the board to approve the fiscal year 2025 budget request to prompt discussions on Resolution 2024-01, relative to the adoption of the 2025 budget request to present to the 37th Guam Legislature.
“As I review the documents that was given to us on the drive, it really bothers me when it came to the staffing pattern. I don’t know, maybe my glasses need to be replaced. … Staffing pattern positions that were listed in FY proposed 2025 staffing pattern were listed also in FY 25 proposed federal funding,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez immediately brought into question the double inclusion under the staffing patterns of the local budget request and the federal budget projection because it’s an issue that has resulted in the budget request not being adopted twice before.
“Somebody is playing a game, and it’s sad that this is the first ever for the board finance committee to reject a budget five times. The staffing pattern is not correct. If they think, superintendent, your people, your staff think that we are not going to go through every single line in here, they’re wrong because after the third rejection, colleagues, … we are more careful, and we lost confidence, and we have to do their job that they’re paid for,” Gutierrez told Superintendent Kenneth Erik Swanson on Tuesday.
To put things in perspective, GDOE pays the salaries of all employees and then is reimbursed by the federal government for indirect employees under a grant. Therefore, the expense falls to the federal government.
The issue was brought up during the previous special board meeting last month. At the time, the GEB told GDOE Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Administrative Services Joann Camacho to correct the error, however, the error remained.
GDOE position 111595 is the position that’s listed in error, according to GEB Chair Mary Okada.
“If the staffing pattern is inappropriately reflected on the local funds when it should be on the federal funds, then we need to reduce the amount on the local funds because the employee is listed twice at two different salaries,” Okada said.
Gutierrez expressed even greater disappointment and shared that in the first draft of the budget submitted to the board, GDOE leadership at the central office gave themselves a raise.
“The first budget presentation, colleagues, that they have given, they gave them a raise, unclassified. A $20,000 pay raise,” Gutierrez said. “It’s an insult for the students and parents that have to go fundraise. … I haven’t seen evaluation as per the law. For me, my colleagues, we did our best. I know that when this goes to the Legislature, it’s not going to be what’s requested.”
Resolution 2024-01 asks the 37th Guam Legislature for $303,393,921 to fund the department next fiscal year with the caveat that all unexpended funds from fiscal 2025 be carried over to the following fiscal year – its use restricted to GDOE capital improvement projects.
Despite the concerns and with the board’s correction to the staffing pattern, the GEB passed the budget unanimously.
The Guam Department of Education headquarters is seen on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Tiyan.
