The American Samoa Department of Education is projecting to save $30,000 this year in its electricity bill under cost containment measures implemented in the first 100-days of the Lolo Administration, says ASDOE director Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau in her 100-days report to the Governor’s Office.

The 100-days report by each department and agency was requested last month by Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga, who wanted detailed reports profiling what each agency has accomplished in the fist 100 days of the new administration.

In the ASDOE report, Hunkin-Finau outlined steps taken by the department implementing cost containment measures, which were ordered by the governor on Jan. 3. as the new administration was faced with uncertainly in the status of the budget for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2013.

As part of cost containment, Hunkin-Finau says the department “drastically cut travel” and this includes both off-island and to Manu’a.

“We’ve found ways to rely on technology such as Video Conferencing, Skype and web-based meetings to continue our work without leaving Tutuila,” she said.

She did point out that ASDOE had to pay for two trips to send an ASDOE team of administrators to the required yearly meeting for the federal Consolidated Grant program and to the University of Hawaii for contract negotiations for the Cohort Program.

The second cost containment initiative was reducing electricity use in schools and other ASDOE facilities after work hours and on weekends.

As the largest user of electricity in the American Samoa Government, “we do not take this initiative lightly. Staff conducts weekly inspections of all schools during the day, at night and on weekends to check for unnecessary lights or air conditioning left on when (the area is)  not in use. We project a savings of approximately $30,000 during the 2013 fiscal year,” she said.

See tomorrow’s edition for more details from the ASDOE report.