Won Pat concerned over education budget

by Krystal Paco

Guam - Just as Governor Eddie Calvo stressed the importance of improving education on island in his State of the Island Address on Tuesday night, Speaker Judi Won Pat is further reviewing just how education has been budgeted in the proposed Fiscal Year 2013 executive budget submitted earlier this week.

She told KUAM News, "But of course when I'm looking at the budget request it's almost a million less than what they're currently operating with not counting of course the 15 percent. In addition the department is really asking for $270 million and they also said that they're going to come back for an additional $20 million in a supplemental request, so that naturally concerns me."

She says as public education accounts for nearly 40 percent of the total FY2013 budget, it's a priority in need of further review namely concerns for Untalan Middle School and the Charter School Foundation. Committee on Finance chair Senator Ben Pangelinan meanwhile was unavailable for comment but is set to do a thorough analysis of the budget and will then bring the governor's fiscal team to justify the numbers.