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Bill would require Guam Education Board confirmation of deputy superintendents; superintendent seeks a chief of staff
Summary
At a public hearing on Bill 204-38 COR, legislators and witnesses discussed requiring Guam Education Board confirmation of deputy superintendent appointments and public posting of qualifications. Superintendent Eric Swanson supported the transparency goals but requested authority to create a chief of staff by realigning existing deputy positions.
The Guam Legislature Committee on Education heard testimony on Bill 204-38 COR, which would require the Guam Education Board to confirm deputy superintendent appointments and require public posting of qualifications for those roles. Committee chair Senator Vincent Borja framed the measure as an effort to strengthen governance and collaboration between the board and the Guam Department of Education (GDOE).
"This legislation addresses the gap in our current structure," Senator Borja said when opening the hearing on the bill. Dr. Eric Swanson, the incumbent superintendent of schools, testified in support of the bill's intent but urged a modification: creation of a chief of staff role by realigning one deputy full-time equivalent. "A primary role would be to include coordination of time, projects, and local government communication and coordination," Swanson told the committee, adding that he and board leadership had discussed the position.
Swanson said the chief of staff would allow more effective executive coordination between board requirements, legislative requests and federal interactions, and recommended the position be exempt from classification rules so the superintendent can pick a trusted right-hand coordinator. "I need to be able to have that not be locked into and locked up in boilerplate of civil service rules," he said.
Several senators questioned whether requiring board confirmation for deputy appointments would limit the superintendent's ability to form an effective leadership team. Senator Taittui argued that the superintendent must be able to select deputies he can work with and that placing hiring constraints could slow operations, citing procurement delays as an example. Other senators expressed concern that confirmation could create pressure for political or personnel trade-offs between superintendent and board; some said they preferred collaborative notification and publicly posted qualifications rather than formal confirmation.
No committee vote or formal action was recorded at the hearing. The chair thanked witnesses for testimony, invited written input for seven days, and closed the hearing.
