The Guam Department of Education is holding back on hiring to fill positions for school staff in line to retire soon.

GDOE Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson told the Guam Education Board they established a list of replacements, specifically for school principals.

But, he said they are holding back on hiring until the school realignment plan is complete.

“But by the end of the cycle, certainly by midyear we will know who is leaving and who is not. And we will be able to fill behind them so we have certified administrators. We do not have a list of assistant principals. But that recruitment effort has not been conducted yet. The focus for the school year right now and school years ’25-’26 we want to avoid acting appointments, so we want to be able to screen applicants and establish a list. But at this point there is only one applicant in that group. So far, health counselors are still being impacted by retirements but recruitment is going forward. We still have our staff working at several schools and we have been able to provide that support,” said Swanson.

He added there is more work to do regarding rightsizing the department.

Meantime, the air conditioning and mold mitigation contracts are still in the works, and efforts are also ongoing to end the double session between Simon Sanchez and John F. Kennedy High Schools.