The Guam Department of Education does not have the funding to implement educator pay adjustments recommended by the Department of Administration, Superintendent Judith Won Pat told legislative leaders and the Guam Education Board.
Won Pat said she sent a letter to the speaker of the Legislature, the Committee on Education, Libraries and Public Broadcasting, and the Committee on Ways and Means on the same day DOA submitted its recommendation.
The funding shortfall also affects federally funded Head Start teachers, Head Start Director Angelina-Marie C. Lape said.
“I just wanted to point out that with the educator pay plan increases, I have done a preliminary review of everything, and we will not have enough money to cover those pay raises for federally funded teachers,” Lape said.
Lape said she contacted Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Rizalina Liwag and Won Pat about the possibility of transferring some Head Start teachers to local funding.
“I was looking at four of our lowest paid teachers to local funds so that our existing federal funds can absorb the rest,” Lape said.
However, Lape said she was advised that the current budget could not cover the transfers because they were not included in the budget.
“But it is something that we can consider moving forward and then look at maybe whether or not supplemental funds can assist with that because with the increases from the two other pay raises that teachers had, our operational fund is close to $200,000 and the cost of the educator pay raises will be in excess of that,” Lape said.
Lape said additional operational funding is needed to cover the expense and maintain compliance with federal standards.
“It's something that we're working on. Superintendent is aware and her team is also helping us to figure that out. But just so you know, we don't have the fund for federally funded teachers to cover the pay raises,” Lape said.
Guam Education Board Vice Chair Mary Okada urged Won Pat to include the funding needed to transfer federally funded employees to local funding in the department's request to the Legislature.
Won Pat also said GDOE is among the government agencies preparing to implement performance-based budgeting. Staff training is expected to begin in November, she said.
During the discussion of the department's finances, Won Pat also reported that an analysis of administrative leave from September 2025 through September 2026 found approximately $918,000 in expenses, representing a cumulative 14,000 hours of administrative leave during that period.