by Mindy Aguon

Guam - The Guam Department of Education may have just made barely made payroll and recently averted furloughs of more than 500 federally-funded employees, but the department is now $28 million richer. The U.S. Department of Education has finally released $8 million dollars in Fiscal Year 2008 federal carryover funds to the Guam Department of Education.

DOE has been waiting on the release of the funds as federal programs and federally-funded employees jobs were nearly in jeopardy. The USDOE also released $20 million through the Fiscal Year 2009 Consolidated Grant. Acting Governor Mike Cruz said the release of the money "is evidence of GDOE's efforts to improve their financial accountability."

Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo meanwhile noted, "DOE is on a path to meeting all of USDOE's requirements for accountability of federal funds and we look forward to their continued progress."