The government secured nearly $12.5 million in Education Stabilization Funds (ESF) through the CARES Act funding to bridge the gap and strengthen connections to online learning through the PATH Project.  The Guam Department of Education will administer the PATH Project (Providing Access to Homes), which is an Internet Service Provider Voucher Program that provides no-cost home internet services to students and families. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero.

"It's the discretion of the governor and so the lieutenant governor, myself, and Superintendent Jon Fernandez and also the other institutions sat down and looked at how we could best use this and give these out to the students," she said.

As a result, Governor Leon Guerrero says they were able to help minimize the cost for students and families in terms of distance learning. $8.9 million will be administered by GDOE for all public, private, and charter school students.

Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio explained, "And, of course, Department of Education has criteria for that and he'll get into that.  The private schools and the charter schools have allocated amounts that they're going to be able to be empowered to determine how these amounts are going to respond to the needs of their school student populations."

Out of the $12 million, $956,000 have been provided to the University of Guam and $529,000 to the Guam Community College to help offset all or part of student Internet and online student fees for the fall and spring semesters. PBS Guam will also administer the PBS University Program as part of the efforts to enhance distance learning.

Additionally, the Department of Youth Affairs will be working in conjunction with GDOE to establish community learning centers.

"And in this regard, the Department of Youth Affairs through their resources centers and the Guam Public Library through all of their five branches are going to expand online services, online connections, hardware available for students to be able to continue their learning and to help supplement the effort that not only the Department of Education and the private and the charter schools are doing, but also the institutions for higher learning," said Tenorio.

A total of $201,000 in ESF will help to expand wireless Internet access in library facilities and support the implementation of Community Learning Centers, along with providing desktop computers.

All students and families from GDOE, private schools, and charter schools may apply to participate in the PATH Project. To avail of the no-cost home Internet services, families must apply at their child's school, and students must have qualified devices, such as GDOE laptops.

These services are expected to continue up to September, which marks the end of the fiscal year.

All students and families from GDOE, private schools, and charter schools may apply to participate in the PATH Project, however students and families will be prioritized to participate in the program based upon income. The program also aims to provide a lower bulk-rate option for Internet services to families who do not meet priority eligibility.

GDOE applications for the PATH Project are expected to become available at the end of December.