U.S. Department of Education officials are on-island as part of their annual on-site assessment of the financial management efforts implemented by the Guam Department of Education.
According to GDOE Superintendent Jon Fernandez, the federal officials began meeting with the department this past Aug. 14. They will complete their visit by the end of the week.
Fernandez said the USDOE officials are here to validate the improvements and progress that the department has been making on the Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan, or CCAP, a plan developed with the assistance of a third party fiduciary agent.
As mandated by the USDOE, the CCAP serves as a roadmap for getting GDOE off its high risk status. GDOE was designated a high-risk grantee in Fiscal Year 2003.
The USDOE required that GDOE must have the assistance of a third party fiduciary agent to oversee the management of department funds and to assist in the implementation of the CCAP.
The focus areas of the CCAP include components such as GDOE’s financial management and information system, internal controls, and procurement.
“Throughout the year, Guam DOE, our third party fiduciary, and USDOE participate in regular weekly calls to discuss our progress, so the visit is for them to get an on-the-ground feel for how we are doing,” Fernandez stated.
In terms of the request to extend the Sept. 30 deadline to obligate GDOE ARRA funds, Fernandez stated the visiting federal officials “have indicated that they do not have final word from the department regarding the ARRA extension, but they continue to follow up with the appropriate division that handles such requests.”
“We feel good about this visit. We believe that we have made significant progress, and our discussions are now focused on the road ahead for Guam DOE to build the necessary capacity to sustain this progress and, hopefully, to become a model agency for the rest of the island in terms of financial management,” Fernandez concluded.
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