June 26, 2003 – The University of the Virgin Islands Bulletin Board issued today has these announcements:
UVI Featured in Spring 2003 Issue of Black Voices Quarterly
The University of the Virgin Islands is in the "Campus Spotlight" of the Spring 2003 issue of Black Voices Quarterly magazine. A dramatic shot of the St. Croix campus opens the two-page, color spread.
In interviews with President LaVerne Ragster and other administrators, the University's unique location, various academic programs, exchange opportunities and sports facilities are featured. The issue also includes UVI students Bonnie Braga, Ranan Mustafa, Michael Lake and Paula Gumbs in its list of the "100+ Top Students" from the nation's black colleges. Congratulations to all. More about Black Voices Quarterly is available on line at www.BlackVoices.com.
UVI Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members
The UVI Board of Trustees welcomed several new members who will serve during the 2003-2004 term at the June 21 meeting on St. Croix. The new faculty trustee is Dr. Eustace Esdaille, chair of the business division on the St. Thomas campus. Andrea Keddo, a senior business administration major on the St. Thomas campus, is the new student trustee.
Also, by virtue of his position as acting chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Education, Harry Daniel is serving on the Board of Trustees.
In other action at the June meeting, the Trustees selected Dr. Auguste E. Rimpel Jr. to serve another term as board chair. Alexander Moorhead of St. Croix was selected to serve as the vice chair.
UVI to Observe Emancipation Day, Independence Day
The University of the Virgin Islands will be closed next Thursday and Friday, July 3 and 4, in observance of Virgin Islands Emancipation Day and U.S. Independence Day, respectively. University offices will reopen and summer session classes will resume on Monday, July 7.
UVI to Offer On-line Fall Semester Registration to Continuing Students
UVI is planning to offer on-line registration for the 2003 fall semester to all continuing students. The dates when on-line registration becomes available will be announced in the near future.
St. Croix Golden Key Honor Society Plans General Meeting on July 11
A general meeting of the St. Croix Chapter of the UVI Golden Key International Honor Society is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 11, at the Associate Chancellor's conference room on the second floor of the Great House on UVI's St. Croix Campus. All members of the Golden Key Honor Society are invited to attend. For more information call 713-9743.
High School, UVI Students Sought for Peer Health Education Workshop
A Peer Health Education Workshop in teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS prevention will be offered to Virgin Islands high school students and interested UVI students from July 14 through 18 on UVI's St. Croix campus. Positions are available for 25 students from St. Croix and St. Thomas. Participants must agree to share their information in at least four presentations within the Virgin Islands during the next year. Housing and meals – as well as transportation for St. Thomas students – will be provided at no charge.
Interested students should sign up for screening interviews no later than Friday, June 27.
The workshop is sponsored by the V.I. Health Department Office of Family Planning in conjunction with the UVI Health Services Department. To register contact Nurse Justa Encarnicon on St. Croix at 692-4214 (e-mail: tthomp@uvi.edu) or Nurse Diane Ruan-Viville on St. Thomas at 693-1124 (e-mail: dbonell@uvi.edu).
St. Croix's Mango Melee Scheduled for July 6
The St. Croix Mango Melee and Tropical Fruit Festival is scheduled for noon to 6:30 p.m. July 6 at the St. George Village Botanical Garden. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 5-12. Children five years old and younger are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Food, music, a farmers' market, mango eating competition, ice cream making, garden tours, craft vendors, workshops and more are planned. For more information call 692-2874 or 292-4060.
The festival is sponsored by the St. George Village Botanical Garden, UVI's Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Experiment Station, the V.I. Agriculture Department and the V.I. Tourism Department.
SBDC Offers Microsoft Access Workshop on July 9
UVI's Small Business Development Center will conduct an "Introduction to Microsoft Access" workshop from 5:45 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, at the UVI-SBDC Training Center located in the Sunshine Mall lower level, St. Croix. Admission is $20. A $5 discount is available to individuals who register and pay by Monday, July 7.
UVI faculty, staff and students are admitted free but they must pre-register. For more information and to pre-register, call UVI-SBDC at 692-5270.
For more on the University of the Virgin Islands, visit the website at www.uvi.edu.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
HOSPITALS PLAN IS A THREAT TO CRUCIANS' HEALTH
Dear Source,
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
HOSPITALS PLAN IS A THREAT TO CRUCIANS' HEALTH
Dear Source,
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
HOSPITALS PLAN IS A THREAT TO CRUCIANS' HEALTH
Dear Source,
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
St. Croix already wants more autonomy from our centralized government on St. Thomas; why would St. Croix want a centralized hospital administration? Centralization has already created a stranglehold on the St. Croix economy, and now those in authority want to have a stranglehold on St. Croix's health.
The oil and rum revenues are controlled for the proliferation of centralization already. This is morally, economically, politically and downright wrong. Do you think for a minute that St. Thomas would consider having the administrator located at Juan F. Luis Hospital?
It appears to have been a recommendation of the governor's financial advisers. We all know who they are, and we all know where they reside — there didn't seem to be many St. Croix residents in that group.
Cutting costs is an imperative of the bloated centralized authority, but removing the autonomy of the St. Croix hospital will never benefit St. Croix. Too bad the governor's advisers were not more concerned about the enormous raises they received from the governor without much input from anyone else.
(It is also very apparent why they would not recommend rescinding the raises — because their retirement is based upon their "step," and going from perhaps $95,000 back down to $75,000 would affect their retirement income. Take a look at the retirement system. Rescind the raises and save money. That would automatically amount to more than the cost of the St. Croix hospital administrator.)
Centralization of anything is not the answer in the Virgin Islands. It doesn't work in any other area, such as Public Works, Personnel and Finance (Which island had problems getting checks cut?). Even a cursory examination of the problems of the V.I. hospital systems would reveal huge differences between health concerns on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. St. Croix's population is perhaps 40 percent Hispanic.
If the hospitals were able to collect their receivables, the losses would be greatly diminished. Also, there is a rumor that perhaps nationals of some islands nearby to St. Thomas go there to have their babies, who can automatically become U.S. citizens. Do they all pay their St. Thomas hospital bills?
Getting back to the root of the problem, which is finances or the lack thereof: Governor, Senators, you all know what must be done. It's only a question of when it will be done. Do your job, or you'll pay for it in the subsequent elections, regardless of how much money you try to borrow. Don't count on St. Croix to bail you out again, for we have only one Hovensa and only one Cruzan. Stealing our hospital administration and autonomy will not save anything; it will merely create a larger bureaucracy centralized on the second-largest U.S. Virgin Island.
A stranglehold on the St. Croix economy is bad enough, but a stranglehold on the health of St. Croix is abominable and unacceptable.
Robert V. Vaughn
Christiansted
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
FUNERAL FOR CAROLINE WOODLEY WILL BE JULY 3
June 26, 2003 — Caroline Evelyn Woodley, 51, of Frenchman's Bay, St. Thomas died June 19, 2003, at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
A first viewing will be Wednesday, July 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Davis Funeral Home Chapel. A second viewing will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, July 3, before the funeral, both at the Church of God of Prophecy, 6-5E Estate Hoffman. Interment will follow at Western Cemetery No. 3.
Woodley, better known as "Lynn," is survived by her mother, Edith Evelyn Garvey; father, Simion Walker; ex-husband, John Woodley; son, Nigel Woodley; daughters, Angel Clendinen, Angella Woodley, Angelina Woodley; brothers, Leroy Evelyn, Refiel Evelyn, James Walker, John Walker; sisters, Gloria Evelyn Julius, Vermelita Evelyn James, Louvina Evelyn Ramsey, Cynthia Evelyn Ceasar, Gleneva Evelyn, Glenda Evelyn DeCosta, Denise Evelyn; adopted sister, Verna Perkins; adopted brother, Rondolph Perkins; daughter-in-law, Taisha Dunson; sons-in-law, Dwayne Clendinen, Wilfredo Laboy Jr.; brothers-in-law, Lloyd James, Barry DeCosta, Ruel Julius, Xaia Ramsey, James Ceasar; stepson, Kurt Paul; special friends, Beryl Thomas, Mary Simmons, Kenneth Benjamin, Ethlyn Joseph, Alfredo Prince; godmother Marian Garvey; grandchildren Tarrique, Tannique, Shannique, Monique, Domonique, Maklye, Micheal, Moya; and many other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
A first viewing will be Wednesday, July 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Davis Funeral Home Chapel. A second viewing will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, July 3, before the funeral, both at the Church of God of Prophecy, 6-5E Estate Hoffman. Interment will follow at Western Cemetery No. 3.
Woodley, better known as "Lynn," is survived by her mother, Edith Evelyn Garvey; father, Simion Walker; ex-husband, John Woodley; son, Nigel Woodley; daughters, Angel Clendinen, Angella Woodley, Angelina Woodley; brothers, Leroy Evelyn, Refiel Evelyn, James Walker, John Walker; sisters, Gloria Evelyn Julius, Vermelita Evelyn James, Louvina Evelyn Ramsey, Cynthia Evelyn Ceasar, Gleneva Evelyn, Glenda Evelyn DeCosta, Denise Evelyn; adopted sister, Verna Perkins; adopted brother, Rondolph Perkins; daughter-in-law, Taisha Dunson; sons-in-law, Dwayne Clendinen, Wilfredo Laboy Jr.; brothers-in-law, Lloyd James, Barry DeCosta, Ruel Julius, Xaia Ramsey, James Ceasar; stepson, Kurt Paul; special friends, Beryl Thomas, Mary Simmons, Kenneth Benjamin, Ethlyn Joseph, Alfredo Prince; godmother Marian Garvey; grandchildren Tarrique, Tannique, Shannique, Monique, Domonique, Maklye, Micheal, Moya; and many other relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
CUTBACKS ADD TO EDUCATION PROBLEMS, PANEL TOLD
June 26, 2003 – One reason that V.I. public school students do abysmally on national standardized testing, Education Commissioner Noreen Michael said at one point in hours of testimony before a Senate committee on Wednesday; is the Board of Education policy that prohibits teachers from failing any pupil from kindergarten to fourth grade.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in August , she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in August , she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CUTBACKS ADD TO EDUCATION PROBLEMS, PANEL TOLD
June 26, 2003 – One reason that V.I. public school students do abysmally on national standardized testing, Education Commissioner Noreen Michael said at one point in hours of testimony before a Senate committee on Wednesday; is the Board of Education policy that prohibits teachers from failing any pupil from kindergarten to fourth grade.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in August, she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in August, she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CUTBACKS ADD TO EDUCATION PROBLEMS, PANEL TOLD
June 26, 2003 – One reason that V.I. public school students do abysmally on national standardized testing, Education Commissioner Noreen Michael said at one point in hours of testimony before a Senate committee on Wednesday; is the Board of Education policy that prohibits teachers from failing any pupil from kindergarten to fourth grade.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in Augus t, she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
At another point, she told the senators that some $25.6 million has been spent on public school repairs in the last three years.
Those kinds of facts and figures pointed up for the lawmakers the complexity, in terms of both programming and budgeting, of running the V.I. government's largest department.
Michael had answers for most of the questions put to her by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, but they were not solutions for the problems the questions addressed.
Many of those problems have to do with the quality of public education in the territory. Many of them also have to do with money — which, Michael said, has just gotten to be a bigger problem that it was a week ago.
She said she learned on Monday from the Office of Management and Budget that the administration's decision to reduce General Fund allocations by $9 million as one response to the territory's fiscal crisis means a cutback of $2.7 million to the Education Department. That comes on top of an earlier anticipated budget shortfall of $5.7 million, she said.
That adds up to a reduction of $8.4 million in the department's Fiscal Year 2003 budget of $147.9 from the General Fund. For FY 2003, the governor proposed a total budget of $179.4, including a projected $31.6 million in federal funds, for Education, which has the largest budget of any government entity. That was up from $168.9 million in the FY 2002 budget.
In the fact of the cutbacks, Michael said, the department has submitted a list of priority budgetary needs totaling about $3.3 million.
No Child Left Behind Act
Michael said the Education Department has been given until October of 2006 to comply with mandates of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. She related progress in the development of plans to ensure future teacher quality and certification
Senators raised questions about the poor performance of V.I. students in the last two decades on standardized achievement and aptitude tests in areas including reading, writing and mathematics. In order to solve this problem, Michael said, progress must be made in three areas:
– The department must adopt "challenging academic content and achievement standards." She said the department is training teachers in the implementation of these standards to ensure that students at every grade level will receive instruction in the "appropriate critical areas."
– There must be continual assessment of student progress in reading, language arts, math and science, along with the assessing of special education students and those of limited English proficiency. When assessments are aligned with academic content and achievement standards, she said, "students will be better able to compete on norm-referenced achievement and aptitude tests."
– The department must utilize territorywide assessment to hold schools and the two districts accountable for having all students "reach proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics" as they progress from grade to grade. Progress must be made yearly in order for students to reach proficiency in all subject areas, she said.
It was in response to a question from Sen. Roosevelt David about why increasing numbers of the territory's fourth graders are performing so far below average academic standards that Michael cited the policy of "no retention" of students from kindergarten to fourth grade. As a result, she said, the highest percentage of students retained occurs at the fourth grade level.
Michael cited a Reading First grant for primary school levels. "Reading is the foundation," she said. "If there is no solid reading comprehension, students will not be successful."
Sen. Louis Hill demanded a closer look at teacher performance, and Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste said that "maybe it's about time parents pursue the option of suing the government for mis-educating our children."
Progress toward high school accreditation
In May, the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges approved candidacy for accreditation for three of the territory's four public high schools — Central and Charlotte Amalie, which are seeking reaccreditation after having lost it in November of 2001, and Educational Complex, which has not previously been accredited. Middle States denied candidacy to Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, which also is seeking to regain its lost accreditation.
Michael said that the CAHS administration is seeking commitment from staff to complete a self-study program within a 12-month period instead of the 16 months proposed by Middle States.
She also said Central and Complex have established steering committees to consider plans for the coming school year and that Eudora Kean established a steering committee on June 12 to address the six areas of concern cited by the Middle States in denying it candidacy.
According to a release from the Legislature, Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd asked William Frett, St. Thomas-St. John schools superintendent, what is being done about the Middle States rejection of Eudora Kean's candidacy. Frett said officials are looking at school structures including the gymnasium and administration building, and will get estimates for repairs. He said the school will ask Middle States by December for a reinspection of the school.
In denying candidacy to EKHS a month ago, Michael said in announcing the decision on June 2, Middle States cited as areas of special concern "health, safety and security of students; facilities; finances; stability in leadership; and lack of willingness and interest in engaging in the accreditation process."
And, the release said, when Sen. Ronald Russell, committee chair, asked about the status of school security, Michael replied: "There are no funds for school security."
Federal compliance agreement
Michael noted that as part of its 2002 compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, the local department has published federal toll-free hotline telephone numbers for people to report the suspected misuse of federal funds by the department.
Also, she said, the department has developed a policy statement for reviewing sub-grantee awards and has completed a semi-annual reconciliation report on grant administration and payments.
(As another part of the compliance agreement, the department early this year set up a Web site for posting information concerning the agreement and the territory's actions to comply therewith. See "V.I. posts education pact compliance data online".)
School summer repairs and maintenance
Michael said the Public Works Department usually prepares the "necessary summer school repair plans and secures the necessary funding to accommodate those plans." However, she said, with the fiscal crisis, Education personnel have been meeting with staff of the Office of Management and Budget and the governor's Capital Projects director in an effort to cover the work that need to be done this summer.
After citing the $25.6 million spent in the last three years on school repairs, she said that the department has received a $1.3 million federal Emergency Renovation Grant to address critical health and safety issues in the schools. She said the department has "prioritized such projects to be completed this summer" using the funds.
Projects including electrical system and fire safety upgrades, roof repairs and the installation of intercom systems have been started in St. Croix schools and are projected to be completed in Augus t, she said.
Work on schools in the St. Thomas-St. John district have not begun yet, but the work, including similar repairs as well as generator and bathroom upgrades, also should be completed by the end of August, she said.
Michael also presented her own wish list for Senate action. She told the senators that there is a need for a Gun Free Schools Act requiring that students found to have brought weapons to school be expelled for at least a year, and for bills dealing with truancy and with the education of children with disabilities.
According to the release from the Legislature, Sen. Carlton Dowe brought up recently enacted school-based budgeting legislation providing for individual schools to purchase materials and contract services up to $50,000 on their own without going through the government bureaucracy. "To this day, no school has received the $50,000," he said.
Committee members present at the afternoon hearing were the chair, Sen. Ronald Russell; and Sens. Baptiste, David, Hill, Luther Renee and Raymond "Usie" Richards. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone was excused. Sens. Carlton Dowe and Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who are not members of the committee, also were present.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CRISIS NEEDS FRESH THINKING, FINANCIAL PLANNING
Dear Source,
I read with great interest the article on Sen. Lorraine Berry's proposal to emulate the financial restructuring of Washington, D.C. (See Berry seeks U.S. backing for financial board.)
Without much other information to go on, I am not sure if I am in favor of such a move, but I do know that I am wholeheartedly behind such creative thinking by one of our leaders. I hope the other senators give this idea the consideration it deserves and don't dismiss it as merely a "mainland remedy", which will doom it from the start.
This financial crisis will not be solved by borrowing and taxing; it will not be solved by biting the very hands that feed the territory by penalizing businesses and tourism; it will not be solved by the quick fixes of casinos, video gaming and lottery which only serve to further impoverish the people of the territory. It will be solved by well-reasoned, long-term financial planning and if it takes the federal government to do that then I am behind it 100 percent. I am encouraged to see someone with a fresh idea and a vision of the long-term future, not just the next government payday.
The government payroll is huge, freakishly huge. Where else in the United States does the government employ such a large percentage of the population?? I hope to see more forward-thinking leadership for the Virgin Islands; the voters should demand it immediately and support it wherever it appears.
Sue Seibel
Chicago/St. Croix
I read with great interest the article on Sen. Lorraine Berry's proposal to emulate the financial restructuring of Washington, D.C. (See Berry seeks U.S. backing for financial board.)
Without much other information to go on, I am not sure if I am in favor of such a move, but I do know that I am wholeheartedly behind such creative thinking by one of our leaders. I hope the other senators give this idea the consideration it deserves and don't dismiss it as merely a "mainland remedy", which will doom it from the start.
This financial crisis will not be solved by borrowing and taxing; it will not be solved by biting the very hands that feed the territory by penalizing businesses and tourism; it will not be solved by the quick fixes of casinos, video gaming and lottery which only serve to further impoverish the people of the territory. It will be solved by well-reasoned, long-term financial planning and if it takes the federal government to do that then I am behind it 100 percent. I am encouraged to see someone with a fresh idea and a vision of the long-term future, not just the next government payday.
The government payroll is huge, freakishly huge. Where else in the United States does the government employ such a large percentage of the population?? I hope to see more forward-thinking leadership for the Virgin Islands; the voters should demand it immediately and support it wherever it appears.
Sue Seibel
Chicago/St. Croix
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
CRISIS NEEDS FRESH THINKING, FINANCIAL PLANNING
Dear Source,
I read with great interest the article on Sen. Lorraine Berry's proposal to emulate the financial restructuring of Washington, D.C. (See Berry seeks U.S. backing for financial board.)
Without much other information to go on, I am not sure if I am in favor of such a move, but I do know that I am wholeheartedly behind such creative thinking by one of our leaders. I hope the other senators give this idea the consideration it deserves and don't dismiss it as merely a "mainland remedy", which will doom it from the start.
This financial crisis will not be solved by borrowing and taxing; it will not be solved by biting the very hands that feed the territory by penalizing businesses and tourism; it will not be solved by the quick fixes of casinos, video gaming and lottery which only serve to further impoverish the people of the territory. It will be solved by well-reasoned, long-term financial planning and if it takes the federal government to do that then I am behind it 100 percent. I am encouraged to see someone with a fresh idea and a vision of the long-term future, not just the next government payday.
The government payroll is huge, freakishly huge. Where else in the United States does the government employ such a large percentage of the population?? I hope to see more forward-thinking leadership for the Virgin Islands; the voters should demand it immediately and support it wherever it appears.
Sue Seibel
Chicago/St. Croix
I read with great interest the article on Sen. Lorraine Berry's proposal to emulate the financial restructuring of Washington, D.C. (See Berry seeks U.S. backing for financial board.)
Without much other information to go on, I am not sure if I am in favor of such a move, but I do know that I am wholeheartedly behind such creative thinking by one of our leaders. I hope the other senators give this idea the consideration it deserves and don't dismiss it as merely a "mainland remedy", which will doom it from the start.
This financial crisis will not be solved by borrowing and taxing; it will not be solved by biting the very hands that feed the territory by penalizing businesses and tourism; it will not be solved by the quick fixes of casinos, video gaming and lottery which only serve to further impoverish the people of the territory. It will be solved by well-reasoned, long-term financial planning and if it takes the federal government to do that then I am behind it 100 percent. I am encouraged to see someone with a fresh idea and a vision of the long-term future, not just the next government payday.
The government payroll is huge, freakishly huge. Where else in the United States does the government employ such a large percentage of the population?? I hope to see more forward-thinking leadership for the Virgin Islands; the voters should demand it immediately and support it wherever it appears.
Sue Seibel
Chicago/St. Croix
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
