Lack of leadership and communication over the Guam Department of Education’s (GDOE) Head Start program is just part of the concerning findings from Region 9 Head Start shared with the island’s education officials in a closed-door meeting Friday.

Officials now race against the clock to fix the issues or risk losing the program altogether.

It's a less-than-stellar result compounding GDOE head start’s citation for violating environmental, health, safety, and child rights by the US Department of Education, which seemingly not much progress has been made to correct since notification in March.

Guam Education Board (GEB) member Angel Sablan gave insight into the results shared in that private meeting.

“They found that there was a total lack of leadership and also a total lack of communication. Leadership in the sense that the director or whoever was the leadership there is not leading–and is not telling his or her staff–whoever can make action at head start what to do. communication–because of the same thing. The leadership was not providing staff, principals, and teachers–the people who needed to effectuate what needed to be done at the different schools–any communication,” Sablan said.

It's leadership and communication that is critical to addressing issues like unfenced playgrounds, the lack of an appropriate amount of staff-to-student ratio mandated federally, and the results of lead testing.

After already requesting an extension to correct the deficiencies from the feds, GDOE’s Head Start program is standing on its last leg.

GDOE’s Head Start program now has 90 days to make fixes or risk losing federal funding.

Sablan says, “If nothing happens by March 5th, we’re going to lose the funding for Head Start.”

He also added that it shouldn’t have taken the pressure of the strict deadline to get going on making the necessary changes.

“We just found out also that there are 2.3 million dollars that have been unexpended by Head Start–and what gets me so pissed off is that we keep hearing, oh, there’s no money for this, there’s no money for that, there’s no money for anything–and then when head start comes here and says you haven’t even used 2. 3 million! It’s still there on the table–untouched. what a shame,” Sablan expressed.

GDOE Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson told KUAM, to his understanding, the 90-day time frame is to at least get construction started.

But, Sablan contends that's merely Swanson's interpretation, arguing he understands that March 5th deadline differently.

“That’s his interpretation. What we got from Region 9 Head Start is that–if it is not done by March 5th, whether it’s construction or what, the deficiency has not been cleared,” Sablan explained.

Education Oversight Chair, Senator Chris Barnett, who also attended last week's meeting, states. “It’s very disappointing that federal head start program reps have put GDOE on notice since March, yet we haven’t seen any real movement to address their concerns. Now, we are in jeopardy of losing the program, but many stakeholders are telling me they don’t feel any urgency from GDOE. Superintendent Swanson and GDOE need to start treating this like the emergency it is.”