Guam – The council on charter schools today voted to move the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request from Guahan Academy Charter School forward.
Council Chairwoman Rosa Palomo made the motion to promote the $4.8 Million budget while making it clear that the council is not in full support of the request.
“However, emphasized, I strongly suggest that the council state in its transmittal letter to the Superintendent that it recommends a budget of $5,500 per pupil per the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Law and at 520 students maximum as indicated in the approved petitions growth plan” Palomo stated while in her motion. “This equals $2,860,000.”
The school’s budget is currently based on a $6,500 per pupil figure, one that the council discussed and agreed to during its July 16th meeting. No reason for lowering the pupil figure back to $5,500 was given at today’s meeting.
Prior to the vote on the motion, Council Member Joseph Cameron reminded the council that the per-pupil allotment might need to be adjusted in future budgets.
“It is very important for the council to also be very cognoscente that there are numbers out that there that are dynamic, meaning ever changing, as it relates to how truly the per pupil cost is for grade levels,” Cameron said. “They are very diversified they are ever moving so what the current budget law allows for of $5,500 is since been a different number that is coming out of some of the numbers currently with the Department of Education.”
The motion passed with five ayes and one abstention. The budget now goes to the Superintendent of the Department of Education who will pass it on to the Guam Education Board which is to then submit the request to the legislature.
