Board of Education defends FY2026 request, highlights scholarships, facility repairs and vendor backlogs

St. Thomas — The Virgin Islands Board of Education presented its fiscal year 2026 budget request and a program update Wednesday, telling the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance that the board expects to prioritize scholarships, certification services and repair of hurricane-damaged facilities.

During a roughly 90-minute presentation, Board Chairman Dr. Kaiser A. Callwood and interim executive director Sandra Bess outlined a proposed operating budget of about $2.14 million for FY2026, down from the FY2025 appropriation reported as roughly $2.38 million. Callwood said the FY2026 proposal reflects a needed “pragmatic priorities” review after the board trimmed costs and tightened internal controls.

The budget presentation focused on three areas the board said are critical: administration and certification services, management of the territorial scholarship fund, and capital and disaster-recovery work on board-owned properties. The board described scholarship program activity, loan repayment collections and recent capital contracts intended to restore two damaged facilities.

“We have tightened internal controls, improved reporting…