by Krystal Paco

Guam - Time is up for Department of Education superintendent hopefuls. Guam Education Board members are crossing their fingers that Friday's application deadline will be the last go-around to find the head of the Government of Guam's largest agency.

The next DOE superintendent has some big shoes to fill - after all, they will not only inherit more than the 30,000 children that attend 40 of the island's schools, but also the $79 million budget shortfall and the deadline to obligate some $60 million dollars in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding by the end of September.

The position, which was last held by Dr. Nerissa Bretania Underwood, has yet to be filled since her contract expired and she moved on to retirement. Last September's deadline yielded roughly ten candidates, the final two candidates being Governor Eddie Calvo's education liaison Vince Leon Guerrero and George Washington High School teacher Salvador Avilla, but neither garnered enough votes to attain the position. The search continued with six new candidates up to the plate but disappointment because only one met all the application requirements.

Guam Education Board chairman Francis Santos told KUAM News, "The search will hopefully end on this last go-around. The reason why we extended it is because by board policy we said we needed at least three qualified applicants to be brought before the board in our last go around we only had one."

The search may finally be coming to a close, but Santos regrets not being able to offer the position to interim Taling Taitano who has kept the department afloat since the search began last July. Santos advised that it's not in the board's best interests to offer Taitano a three-year contract without the proper qualifications due to potential lawsuits.

"If you're asking me the question 'Why not just keep Taling Taitano, because we feel that she's doing a good job?', for those of you who read the law, and it's clearly stated in there you must have a higher-level degree meaning master's or doctorate," Santos continued. "And Taling by profession is an accountant, but she has a designation called ‘CPA'. By my standard, that is the equivalent of a master's level, if not a doctorate."

Some of the island's leaders have questioned the board's ability to select a superintendent. Last year Senator Aline Yamashita went as far as introducing Bill 318, which would give the governor the power to appoint a superintendent instead of the board. While the bill awaits a vote, the GEB is set to meet Monday to schedule interviews with the five confirmed applicants who met Friday's deadline. This go-around, the board won't be releasing the names of the candidates.