Recommendations for GDOE rightsizing due to superintendent by year-end

Recommendations for rightsizing the Guam Department of Education is due to the superintendent by year-end. Community briefings starting this week to gather feedback.  

Earlier this year, GDOE launched community briefings to gather input and spur essential discussions on the potential “rightsizing” of the department—a plan that could lead to school consolidations.

While specific recommendations are still in development, GDOE is resuming these discussions with a focus on elementary schools, beginning with Talofofo, Merizo, and Inalahan elementary communities, with others to follow.

Dr. Barbara Adamos, GDOE's acting deputy superintendent for educational support and community learning, told KUAM News, “We know that we need to address our secondary schools–but we want to do incremental steps to not overwhelm ourselves and the community. So we’re targeting elementary–and then based on the recommendations from the task force, we’ll do our next round of community meetings targeting middle schools and then high schools.”

This strategy is a larger plan to maximize resources amid GDOE's budget shortfall and declining student enrollment. Dr. Adamos emphasizes that community input is central to the plan, a process that began in March.

“When we go to the Legislature and say we need more money–it always comes up–you’re under-enrolled, you know you’re not going to get the 303 million that we asked for–and so how are you better utilizing your teachers and staff and other resources and in the schools at this point. So we have to do this," she explained.

The feedback gathered from these sessions will help shape recommendations for which campuses may be consolidated. These recommendations are expected to reach the GDOE superintendent by the end of December.

She added, “We make the recommendations to the superintendent, and we have to meet probably by the end of December just so that we can meet that deadline just so that the superintendent can meet with the chairman of the Guam Education Board and the work session to prepare for the January GEB meeting.”

Ultimately, these recommendations are only suggestions, as the board can reject or modify any plan presented.

“If they do not support the plan, then we are status quo–if they say go back and re-visit this item and that item, and we do so. Or they approve it, and then we already go to the next phase of informing the parents, truly working on the re-assignment of attendance areas, and taking a look at our staff," she said.

The community briefings will start in the Southern District on November 13th at Inalahan Middle School.