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New Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance outlines staffing, $5.7M capital requests and $5M annual capital fund
Summary
The USVI Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance, in its first full budget hearing Aug. 19, asked lawmakers for roughly $4.76 million in operating funds and $5.75 million from the mandated school construction capital fund for FY2026 while outlining initial project work and remaining vendor arrears.
The Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance (BSCM) — created by Act 87‑17 and operating since Oct. 1, 2024 — briefed the Legislature’s budget committee on Aug. 19 about FY2026 resource needs and initial work completing summer repairs at public schools across the territory.
Chief Financial Officer Dr. Charmaine Myers presented the bureau’s case. She said BSCM has completed roughly $6,000,000 in projects since launch and initiated an additional $11,000,000 in work expected to finish in FY2026. The bureau asked the committee to approve an OMB‑recommended operating budget of $4,762,952.80 and requested a total of $5,747,746.52 from the School Construction and Maintenance Capital Fund for FY2026, where Act 87‑17 requires a minimum $5,000,000 annual appropriation.
Why it matters: the bureau is responsible for maintaining aging school facilities across St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix while the territory builds long‑term capital projects funded by federal disaster and other grants. Senators focused on short‑term readiness for the school year, vendor payments, staffing needs and warehouse/logistics capacity.
Key budget items presented: - Operating (OMB‑recommended ceiling): $4,762,952.80 (personnel $3,785,404.04; fringe $977,548.76). The bureau said the operating ceiling initially limited fringe funding and requested fringe additions in the miscellaneous section to support additional staffing. - Capital fund request (BSCM Capital Fund): $5,747,746.52, including routine maintenance allocations for each district (Saint Thomas/St. John $1,000,989.56; Saint Croix $2,272,181.51) and $1,485,000 for capital improvements at non‑school facilities (warehouse build‑outs, lunch‑facility upgrades, Jefferson Annex roofing and remediation). - Personnel: BSCM listed 72 positions (67 filled, 6 vacancies reported to committee) across districts, including plans to expand maintenance staffing to put technical workers nearer schools.
Vendor payments and procurement: CMS leadership and senators discussed vendor arrears. The bureau reported roughly $1.47 million in outstanding vendor invoices, with some festival or event‑type pension payments and maintenance invoices dating back into prior fiscal years. Bureau staff said many invoices are in property/procurement review or requisition status and that some delays predate the bureau’s creation.
Maintenance priorities and KPIs: Myers outlined KPIs the bureau will use to track operations (work orders created, closed, backlog size and backlog age) and said summer work targeted urgent needs — roofs, electrical repairs and HVAC — at schools including Lomaco, John Woodson and others. Assistant director Paul Harrigan said staffing remains thin; he recommended additional technical hires (AC techs, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, masons) and at least two on‑site maintenance staff per large school to improve responsiveness.
Facilities and logistics: the bureau requested capital outlay funding for crew cab utility trucks and the build‑out of warehouse space in both districts to store parts, tools and bulk supplies; the bureau said a $1,000,000 appropriation made in FY2025 for warehouse build‑out could not be obligated because suitable properties were not secured in time.
What senators asked for: committee members requested updated personnel listings, details of vendor arrears, warehouse build‑out plans and a school‑level maintenance schedule. Senators pressed the bureau on the pace of repairs at schools (mold remediation, AC, roof leaks) and the need for clearer interagency coordination — especially where prior ARPA/disaster projects or Department of Education contracts overlap with BSCM responsibilities.
Ending: Myers said the bureau’s transition from the Department of Education is largely complete for exempt employees and that classification/collective‑bargaining steps are underway; she asked senators for the capital fund reappropriation of unspent warehouse monies and for predictable annual capital funding to support routine maintenance and non‑school facility upgrades ahead of the next school year.
