Private schools have received good news regarding funding for salaries of some fo their teachers. While the Director of Education had announced during Fono hearings that the funding from USDOE’s Consolidated Grant used to pay salaries of private school teachers would be terminated at the end of September, private schools have been informed that ASG will continue to provide the funding.
DOE Director, Talauega Dr. Samasoni Asaeli, has not responded to KHJ News questions.
During the graduation of Manumalo Academy last Friday, the school administrator Papalii Laulii Alofa thanked Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga for continuing the funding to pay salaries for teachers at Manumalo.
Also during the Baccalaureate Mass for Faasao Marist high School on Sunday, Bishop Kolio Etuale Tumanuvao expressed appreciation to Governor Lemanu for the funding for teacher salaries.
The principal of a private school told KHJ News ASDOE is restoring pay assistance again to private schools for their teachers and this is being done through another allocated budget portion of the grant. Each school is being provided a set amount formulated to the pay slots allowable for staff.
A USDOE report on the management and use of Consolidated Grant funding by the American Samoa Department of Education said that prior to their onsite visit last September, it was discovered that previous Consolidated Grant projects for non-public schools used CG funds to pay staff salaries for full time, non-public school employees.
USDOE clarified that this is an unallowable use of funds and the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Grant application was amended to remove the unallowable expense.
