DOE breaks down increments

by Krystal Paco

Guam - It was early Wednesday morning the Guam Education Board made a unanimous vote to pay salary increments despite Governor Eddie Calvo's freeze on increments throughout GovGuam.  The Department of Education provides a specific breakdown to how many of its employees are owed increments.

According to DOE deputy superintendent of finances and administrative services Taling Taitano, of the 4,000 DOE employees, 1,179 are locally-funded and for the present fiscal year are owed $761,000. As for federally-funded employees, 229 are owed increments for a total of $122,000.

Taitano says the $2 million figure the Guam Education Board voted on this morning was the estimated annualized totals. $2 million had been set aside for increments but left frozen in the 15% reserve also directed by the governor earlier this year.

If the board fails to pay its dues this year, especially to federally-funded employees, it will have to fork out the cash next fiscal year from their local budget.