Guam - The Guam Department of Education may have just barely made payroll and recently averted furloughs of more than 500 federally-funded staffers, but the agency now finds itself $28 million richer.  The U.S. Department of Education released $8 million dollars in Fiscal Year 2008 federal carryover funds to its local counterpart, and an additional $20 million through the Fiscal Year 2009 Consolidated Grant.

The federal government has withheld funds until a third-party fiduciary agent is implemented, with a draft for such having been issued last Friday.

DOE Superintendent Dr. Nerissa Bretania Underwood said, "We're hoping we can carry the rest for the rest of the school year or at least until we get the third-party in place. Certainly it's already towards the end of February; hopefully by April we can have the third-party and then we can then access the larger grant."

A videoconference is set for this end of the workweek to announce the final RFP.