The local Department of Education has been awarded just over $17 million under the federal Consolidated Grant for ASG fiscal year 2014, which is the U.S. Department of Education’s federal fiscal year 2013, and the grant expires in the autumn of next year, says ASDOE deputy director of finance Russell Aab.

Based on a USDOE report to the federal Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA), Samoa News reported last month that in FY 2013, the ASDOE was obligated $17.16 million under a Consolidated Grant to the Outlying Areas.

However, the report shows there remains a balance of $15.03 million for the Consolidated Grant. The story prompted concerns from a handful of lawmakers as to why there is such a large amount of unspent money for fiscal year 2013, which ended Sept. 30, 2013, while there are only six months left in the current Fiscal Year, 2014.

Responding to Samoa News requests for comments, clarification and confirmation of the award monies, Aab explained that USDOE’s federal FY 2013 “is our FY 2014, thus the funding they are referring to [in their report] is our current year funding.”

He also explained that the USDOE reports “only reflect drawdowns — i.e. expenditures and do not reflect obligations.”

So for the ASG’s FY 2014 (USDOE’s FY 2013), Aab said the total Consolidated Grant is $17.16 million (or $17,162,383) and “we have obligated/expended 52% of these funds in the first 5.5 months of the grant. This is the appropriate expenditure rate as the grant must cover expenses for the remaining 6.5 months. These funds expire Sept. 30, 2015.”

For our ASG FY 2013 — which is the USDOE’s FY 2012 — Aab said the total Consolidated Grant was $17,665,230 and “we currently have expended/obligated 98.6% of it. The remaining balance is $240,347. This funding expires Sept. 30, 2014.”

The Consolidated Grant is the largest annual ASDOE funding which, according to USDOE, can be used for professional development for teachers and administrators to improve teaching and learning, activities to reduce class size, acquisition of supplemental instructional materials and technology for classrooms and libraries, after-school programs for at-risk students, and parent outreach services to promote educational success.

Meanwhile, Education director Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau said all public schools opened yesterday as scheduled “for the remainder of the few weeks left in the school year.”

“Most everyone should be cleared of the pinkeye epidemic, [and] Flag Day and Easter break are over. We need to get back to normal and back to school as usual,” she said.

Public schools were closed for about ten days due to the pink eye outbreak. Last week schools were in session for only three days, since last Thursday and Friday were holidays. For the rest of the current school year, all DOE sports and extra curricular school events have been cancelled.