Transmitted via electronic email
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officeofsenatorshelton@guamlegislature.org
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Senator Amanda L. Shelton
Legislative Secretary
Chairperson, Committee on Maritime Transportation, Air
Transportation, Parks, Tourism, Higher Education, and the Advancement of Women, Youth, and Senior Citizens
Guam Congress Building
163 Chalan Santo Papa
Hagatña, Guam 96910
Senator Chris Barnett
Chairperson, Committee on Rules
Chairperson, Committee on Education, Public Safety and the Arts
Guam Congress Building
163 Chalan Santo Papa
Hagåtña, Guam 96910
RE: Requesting a Joint Roundtable on GDOE SPED with UOG and GCC
Håfa adai Chairperson Shelton and Chairperson Barnett,
I am writing to request the Committee on Higher Education and the Committee on Education to hold a joint roundtable hearing to address the issues and concerns of the Guam Department of Education Special Education program.
The testimonies heard in the public hearing on Wednesday evening highlighted the diminishing care and attention provided to our special needs students as they age in our education system. This should not be the case and we need to address this as soon as possible. The necessary services given to our students with special needs should not stop at elementary or decrease with age. We, as a governing body, have an obligation to give each student an adequate education, and that includes our special needs students.
Additionally, the hearing emphasized the need for more trained workers and one-to-one aids in the special education program. I believe it’s important to re-evaluate the incentives and opportunities available to the men and women who support our special needs students. By fostering a work environment for them to grow and improving the conditions of their position, we can ensure that they create the necessary environments for our special needs students to progress and grow.
I think it would be beneficial to collaborate between both education committees and have the higher education institutions on Guam join the discussion to provide insight into improving the current situation. A partnership between the Guam Department of Education, the University of Guam, and the Guam Community College can help us identify viable solutions and possibly create a program to not only train more special education teachers and aids, but also add to the workforce and provide more support to our special needs students. UOG and GCC can become a hub of resources and instruction for our special needs students. With appropriate legislative action, I believe the involvement of our higher education establishments can fast-track speech and language services, physical therapy services, and other much needed services that have been outsourced to off-island contractors. Our students need in-person interaction and we should reduce the need for zoom-based care and services. Let’s integrate the expertise and resources of our university and community college to better care for and support our students.
I hope you will both act on my request and work with the related parties to schedule a roundtable hearing as soon as possible. I standby ready to assist in this matter.
Si Yu’os ma’åse,
Jesse A. Lujan
Senator, 37th Guam Legislature