In Washington, Bryan Pushes for End to Education Dept. Oversight, Rum Cover Over Extension

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. met with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and said the territory will formally request an end to nearly two decades of federal financial oversight of the V.I. Education Department.

“It’s costing us $5 million a year. We actually lost more money over the years using these fiduciaries than we’ve actually gained,” he said in a video message shared at the start of a Government House briefing Monday. Speaking from the lobby of the Hart Senate Building in Washington, D.C., Bryan said the Virgin Islands government is also appealing the rescission of approximately $20 million earmarked for maintenance.

“We were extended, given the time, we got the contractors, we got the purchase order — the work has begun, but they took the money back,” he said. “So, we got a lot of good information and we’re going to be working with her to make sure that we get that money back, get it returned to the Virgin Islands, so we can get our summer maintenance done.”

The federal government designated the territory a “high-risk grantee” decades ago, and since 2006, the V.I. Education Department has been locked into a compliance agreement under which a third-party fiduciary manages the department’s federal grants and awards. The territory currently has a contract with Houston-based accounting firm McConnell and Jones to manage approximately $288 million in federal grants, which was executed in December 2020.