Expired contracts, incomplete documentation plague GDOE transition
Transition has come with its own set of challenges
The management team at the helm of the Guam Department of Education is giving a status report of their first weeks on the job, detailing the difficulties since transitioning in. It’s been 44 days, and some change since new leadership at the largest agency in the Government of Guam has taken over, and education officials say that transition has come with its own set of challenges.
During an oversight hearing with lawmakers Monday, acting GDOE superintendent Dr. Judi Won Pat noted that expired or missing contracts, incomplete documentation, such as invoices and change orders, and delayed procurement processing, have impacted several projects.
“The management of approximately $2.8 million in HVAC systems, covering more than 2,500 air conditioning units across our schools, refurbishment projects in 12 campuses, and contractual services, including therapy services," she detailed.
Among those therapy supports currently paused is the TinyEye occupational therapy and speech language pathology services, affecting 522 students requiring occupational therapy, and 132 students who need speech therapy. Won pat continued, “I called the Governor’s Office last week, asking now that I want to do an emergency procurement so that we can go out and then put out a procurement with TinyEye. We had a two-hour meeting with them last Thursday to find out what had happened, why there was a pause, and what can we do to address this. It’s not…I know it’s not as fast as we all would like it to be, but there are limitations, of course, in terms of either the law or processes to make this happen.”
And while GDOE is working on a request for proposal to restore these services, another interim solution provides parents with insurance to seek temporary services with reimbursement for the 20% co-payment.
Meanwhile, other options are also being explored, as the acting superintendent said, “We also contacted the Department of Labor to see what we could do to be able to bring in some of these professionals, the EB3’s, especially with occupational therapy. We reached out to Allied Health to find out how many of them are licensed here on Guam.
"We reached out to retirees as well, and that’s something we’re working with HR to try to bring them in and bring them in at above step, which we need the consent of the board.”