The current superintendent of the Guam Department of Education is set to step down on December 31, with  the search for a new person to take the helm of the island’s largest Government of Guam agency underway.  But has the Guam Education Board already pre-determined their pick? It’s a question lawmakers had during a public hearing with education officials. 

As Dr. Kenneth Swanson’s role as GDOE superintendent draws to a close, the search for his successor is officially underway. The job announcement, opening back in August, is slated to close September 19 – this Friday.

In the meantime, education officials were called before lawmakers Wednesday to answer questions about the selection process. Committee oversight chair on education, Senator Vince Borja said, “There have obviously been some concerns in the community—we received–not just myself, but colleagues have received some concerns raised in regards to the process. There have been some claims and some rumors regarding the process being set up to be in favor of a specific… again, I think just to at least for you to share with my colleagues and for the listening community on how the process looks like now, and some reassurances that the process is going to be fair.”

Guam Education Board chair Angel Sablan pushed back, insisting there has been no pre-selection or pre-determination of the next superintendent, who is expected to begin on New Year's Day. He added, “We haven’t even come to that point because the application period does not end 'til a day after tomorrow. So, even as chair, I don’t know who the applicants are–only that it’ll be opened on the 19th–and there are only two people who have keys to that box–and that’s our HR administrator, Mrs. Ada, and our search committee chairperson, Mrs. Maria Gutierrez. Other than that, there is no other member who knows who all these applicants are. I can say yes, I’ve heard rumors about who’s going to be or what, but that’s all that they are–just rumors.”

Sablan reminded the community that it takes six votes from the nine-member board to select the next superintendent. “Even in Dr. Swanson’s case, during the selection and every other previous superintendent, it took a while to settle on who that superintendent is going to be because they had to go different times, because they couldn’t get the six votes to get the person on board. And in this case, I don’t know who the applicants are," said Sablan.

He also responded to speculation that some board members may be interested in applying for the job—a matter now before the island’s attorney general and the Civil Service Commission.

“Now, I can’t stop anybody from applying, but I can certainly determine that if the law says this is the way it is, there’s no conflict of interest, civil service commission says you can, as a board member, be a superintendent unless you’re off the board for a year before you come back in, then that’s the way it’s going to be–we’re going to follow the law," said Sablan.

Still, he warned that even with the green light, the move would raise serious conflict of interest issues. “Every member on the board, including me, is going to have a conflict of interest in selecting that person because we all sit on the same board. I would have to recuse myself because I know the person, and so when that happens, who’s going to select the superintendent? If they’re worth whatever they are, they would have to recuse themselves if they have a member of the sitting board apply for the position because we’re going to be biased no matter what anybody says–we’re going to be biased because that person is sitting next to me or attending any meetings that we have," he said.

In the meantime, the chair updates that the board currently has eight voting members. He also adds that the AG’s opinion is still pending. 

The deadline to apply for superintendent remains September 19.