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GDOE superintendent backs 20% use‑tax funding for school repairs but warns Head Start language risks federal funding
Summary
Superintendent Wompat told the General Government Operations and Appropriations committee that dedicating 20% of use‑tax revenue to the Guam Department of Education would provide predictable funding for capital and maintenance, but she urged deleting bill language that 'aligns' early‑childhood funding with Head Start because it could trigger federal supplanting findings affecting roughly $5 million in Head Start aid and other federal grants.
Superintendent Wompat urged the General Government Operations and Appropriations committee to approve a proposal that would dedicate 20% of use‑tax revenues to the Guam Department of Education to address an estimated $110,000,000 deferred‑maintenance backlog.
Wompat told lawmakers that the measure would let the department move "from crisis management to strategic asset management," enabling predictable capital improvements and ongoing maintenance instead of episodic repairs. "If we do not establish consistent maintenance cycles now, the deferred maintenance backlog will continue to grow beyond our ability to manage it," she said.
But Wompat also urged lawmakers to remove a clause that "appropriates funds for 'early childhood development aligned with Head Start,'" saying the phrasing could create federal supplanting risks. She outlined federal funding streams she said could be jeopardized — Head Start (about $5,000,000 annually), the…
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