Guam Department of Education warns FY26 ceiling risks layoffs, program cuts

The Guam Department of Education told the Guam Legislature’s Committee of the Whole on Aug. 8 that a proposed FY26 budget ceiling would force staff cuts, reduced services and larger class sizes unless additional funding is restored or other corrections are made.

Superintendent Eric Swanson told senators the department’s “needs‑based” request totaled about $317.4 million, the department formally submitted $306 million to the executive branch, and the budget ceiling under consideration by the legislature is approximately $266 million. “Passing the budget as is will be disastrous for the department and Guam as a whole,” Swanson said.

The department provided a detailed list of program and operating items that would be reduced under the lower ceiling. The superintendent and his finance team said those cuts would affect teacher and support‑staff hiring, substitute coverage, special‑education case management, IT equipment, utilities, and school maintenance.

Why it matters: GDOE officials said the proposed ceiling would require about $50.9 million in general‑fund reductions from their submitted needs, with only roughly $29.6 million identified in specific cuts; that leaves roughly $20 million to be found elsewhere, which the department says would almost certainly mean layoffs or school closures.

What officials said: Swanson and his finance staff listed potential reductions that together total about $29.6 million in program cuts, and separately explained mandatory increases that raise actual needs to $317.4 million. Chief of Finance Wade Paul and budget officer Jordan Bukakowska delivered line‑by‑line figures during the hearing. Among the items identified by GDOE as at risk…