The Virgin Islands Board of Education and the Board for Career and Technical Education told lawmakers Tuesday that funding shortfalls are limiting scholarships, delaying facility improvements and restricting efforts to prepare students for the territory’s workforce needs.
Appearing before the 36th Legislature’s Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance, the two boards outlined their fiscal year 2027 budget requests while warning that years of underfunding continue to affect programs ranging from student financial aid to career training and facility improvements.
Board of Education
Board of Education Chairman Dr. Kyza A. Callwood told senators the board is requesting $2,137,697 for fiscal year 2027 while also seeking approximately $1.35 million in one-time capital funding to address facility needs on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
The board is requesting about $350,000 to complete restoration of the historic Blake-Guirty House on St. Thomas and roughly $1 million to acquire a permanent office building on St. Croix.
Callwood testified that the board’s leased Christiansted office has experienced significant roof deterioration and environmental issues and is now listed for sale, while the Blake-Guirty House sustained substantial damage during the 2017 hurricanes. Although stabilization work has been completed, he said additional restoration is needed to “maintain a safe working environment for employees and visitors.”
Lawmakers also heard testimony about growing demand for the territory’s scholarship programs.
Callwood said the Board of Education received 768 scholarship applications during the current award cycle, up from 659 the previous year.
He testified that the increase “demonstrates the success of the board’s expanded outreach initiatives” while also underscoring the need to maintain robust scholarship funding.
For fiscal year 2026, the board received more than $1.55 million to support post-secondary financial assistance, including territorial scholarships and special legislative grants. The scholarship fund is also supported by student loan repayments and annual contributions from Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission beneficiaries.
Despite growing demand, Callwood said the Virgin Islands Maritime Scholarship Program has gone unfunded in multiple recent fiscal years.
“The program is supposed to be $100,000,” he told senators.
Instead, the board has relied on its territorial scholarship fund to assist maritime students. During the 2024 academic year, only two of ten applicants received $5,000 awards after the board redirected scholarship funds. In fiscal years 2025 and 2026, eligible maritime students received only the standard $3,000 loan-and-grant award because no dedicated maritime funding was appropriated.
Callwood also said student loan repayments remain a critical source of recurring scholarship funding, but the board continues to manage a large portfolio of delinquent accounts.
As of June 25, the board had collected approximately $514,000 in student loan repayments, including funds generated through a repayment amnesty program. However, outstanding delinquent student loans still totaled about $1.28 million as of June 30, with a significant portion more than 20 years overdue.
Lawmakers also revisited Board of Education stipends and previous audit findings.
Executive Director Sandra Bess said the board has paid $45,350 in stipends during fiscal year 2026, compared with $41,388 during fiscal year 2025. Callwood attributed the increase to new responsibilities associated with mandated academic walkthroughs and the addition of a St. John board member.
Senators also questioned whether public schools will be ready for students when classes resume and whether designated hurricane shelters are prepared for the season.
Callwood said the board was preparing to conduct inspections later this month and could not yet say whether every public school would be ready to safely welcome students on the first day of classes. He also acknowledged that, based on previous inspections, schools serving as hurricane shelters were not yet fully prepared for that role.
Career and Technical Education
During the same hearing, the Virgin Islands Board for Career and Technical Education warned lawmakers that limited funding is constraining efforts to strengthen workforce training programs aligned with the territory’s economic needs.
Executive Director Genevieve Whitaker testified that while the board operates on a $689,681 budget, it has identified approximately $2.6 million in programmatic needs, leaving nearly a $2 million funding gap.
Whitaker said those needs include textbooks, equipment, certification systems and other instructional supplies identified through meetings and surveys with school administrators, instructors and workforce partners.
She told lawmakers that effective career and technical education “carries real and necessary costs,” including instructional materials, consumable supplies, industry-specific tools, modern technology and access to certifications.
Current funding, she said, is “insufficient at this time to sustain program delivery at the level required for students to succeed.”
Board Chairman Anthony Mardenborough Jr. also told senators the board has repeatedly requested information from the Department of Education regarding federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education funding but has not received updates on remaining balances or how those funds have been spent.
Committee Chair Sen. Novelle E. Francis Jr. questioned how career and technical education programs are preparing Virgin Islanders to fill the thousands of jobs expected during future disaster recovery efforts.
Whitaker said the board is working with major contractors and the Department of Labor to develop registered apprenticeships and create pathways for students into active construction projects, but warned that limited funding could hinder efforts to expand those programs and prepare students for future workforce opportunities.
