by Krystal Paco

Guam - The Department of Education has been hustling to obligate $60 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money. As of June, DOE interim superintendent Taling Taitano reported only 40% of the $60 million had been spent.

This is not the first time DOE has requested for an extension in order to obligate $60 million in stimulus money to improve the state of the island's school facilities. According to Governor Eddie Calvo's education Liaison Vince Leon Guerrero, history is repeating itself. Early in the Calvo Administration GDOE ARRA money was salvaged and used to pay salaries on the condition that activities that were supposed to be funded by ARRA would be funded out of a trust account.

It was earlier this year GDOE made a second request to the governor who hesitated. Leon Guerrero says Calvo wanted to give GDOE further opportunities to push through with spending. "The governor doesn't like requesting for additional extensions. If you ask the governor to request for extension, it just doesn't look good that we can't do the job within the timeframe. That was originally envisioned, we went to bat for Guam DOE and we asked for a year's extension and despite that year's extension here we are again at the cusp of the expiration of that deadline being almost forced to salvage it by asking for another additional extension," he said.

The clock is ticking. With only six weeks until the start of classes and twelve until the ARRA money expires, the Governor's Office is working with new GDOE superintendent Jon Fernandez to have a request for an extension ready for USDOE by the end of this week.

Leon Guerrero says if granted the extension, there may be a chance that the science technology engineering and math renovations at George Washington High School could be delayed until next summer. Delays in design completion and procurement kept work from occurring over the summer months. To make ARRA's September deadline, the construction must be done simultaneously with the start of the school year, taking 17 classrooms offline in order for renovations to occur.

GW faculty and staff met Monday to discuss options for the upcoming school year, including a 9th Grade Academy that attends classes at the interim Untalan Middle School in Tiyan or have the Mangilao school double session with itself. "What if we got an extension would that allow them to push it back? That's a conversation that I think would be interesting for folks to consider," he said.

A stakeholders meeting for GW parents and students is scheduled for Wednesday, July 11 at 5:30pm in the school gym. Ultimately, the final decision would depend on the Department of Public Works and bussing availability.